A Brave New World
by FengLi
Summary: A 'what if' AU: What if Aang never found out he was the Avatar before he was frozen in the iceberg? Canon Pairings, somewhat follows canon plot. Also some humor (or attempts at some).
1. Chapter 1: Storm Clouds are Gathering

Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or its characters (obviously).  
A/N: I've been gobbling up ATLA fanfic left and right for about the past month and a idea to do one myself inexplicably popped up in my mind. Hopefully my first go at this isn't too atrocious.

Note: 12-15-12 - New content for this story is on hold while I edit existing content slightly and work on "Behind Closed Doors".

* * *

Silence broken only by the slight whistling of the wind among the towering temple pagodas reigned supreme at the Southern Air temple.

Monk Gyatso slept peacefully, but a slight, barely noticeable frown took hold of his gentle features. It disappeared as quickly it had surfaced, however, and his dreams soon reclaimed him. Usually untroubled and calm, Gyatso's dreams had recently been plagued by gathering storm clouds. The head council of monks had convinced a hesitant Gyatso to wait another week before announcing the new Avatar's identity during the middle of the yearly Air Nomad gathering. The gathering's location rotated every year, but this year it was conveniently going to be hosted at the Southern Air Temple. It would be the perfect opportunity to gather the Air Nomads together to both unite them under the banner of the Avatar and to peacefully resolve the seemingly inevitable conflict.

Gyatso only hoped it wouldn't be too late. He had waited long enough, and he intended to tell Aang as soon as he woke up, barring extraordinary circumstances. It would not be under ideal circumstances, but it would have to do.

* * *

But time was fast running short.

Across nearby valleys and peaks, a different man arose with the Sun as a feeling of warmth spread through his blood, today more powerfully so than ever before. Rolling over to face his nightstand, he sat up and took a deep, satisfying breath before he strode to his tent flap and flicked them open.

His simmering, _molten _amber eyes were welcomed by the ethereal sight of a bright, scar-like streak racing across the sky, lighting up both the clouds above and the ground below with a less-than-subtle red tinge.

_Today is the day. _

A pair of men in elaborate armor followed by a pair of attendants rushed to his side and knelt before him, their eyes trained on the ground and hands clasped in a customary symbol of respect. In unison, they greeted their master, drawing out their deep voices in reverence.

"Firelord Sozin, the men await your orders."

"Good. Signal the Attack."

The simplicity of his words belied their power, that of releasing into motion the final stage of a long-awaited plan.

* * *

An impossibly bright light parted the fog of his dreams as Aang stretched sleepily in his bed. As he awoke he noticed the glow even through his tightly shut eyelids. A deafening roar filled the air and a bone-shattering tremor shook the ground.

A new and terrible day had begun.

* * *

A/N: Short Chapter, I know. I need to plan things out and I just wanted to get this off my head before my mind explodes with anticipation.


	2. Chapter 2: A Surprise Attack

Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or its characters (obviously).  
Update at least once a week? :)

* * *

For a moment, the fog surrounding the pagodas and peaks seemed to stop whirling about as the air gained an almost imperceptible _heaviness _to it. Then, dozens of dragons burst forth from the swirl of clouds below and flew up, skimming the surface of the mountain slope. Atop each dragon rode a squad of elite firebenders, their powers enhanced by the presence of the comet above.

Confident in his complete and utter success, a man with a fiery headpiece and dazzling golden eyes led his men to begin their surprise attack.

* * *

Aang had been anticipating the yearly Air nomad gathering for some time now. If past years were any indication, he could meet many of his airbender friends from the other temples and hear about their exploits over the past year.

That was before. Now, as Aang finally sat up and peered out of his stone-cut window, he noticed a distant figure of a dragon twirling about and chasing a sky bison.

Aang bolted out of his bed and quickly threw his clothes on. "Huh, I wonder why the dragons are here? Maybe we'll be racing them today?" He smiled as headed towards his door, grabbing his glider staff on the way.

Before he could open the door, it was thrown open, revealing a figure in intimidating armor, a fireball already forming in his hand.

* * *

Gyatso weighed his options as he ran through the hallways to Aang's room. All of his previous plans had been thrown in disarray by the Fire nation's attack, but his ultimate goal remained unchanged. He needed to protect Aang - but how would he react to finding out his identity as the Avatar?

There was no time to find out.

Gyatso gasped when he turned the corner and saw a figure in red striding over the wreckage of a wooden door..._Aang's door!_

Before he could react, the firebender unleashed an impossibly large fireball into the room. Wordlessly, Gyatso revolved his arms in a swirling motion before thrusting them towards him, hoping to knock him down and buy some time.

* * *

As soon as the door came down with a loud *_thud_*, Aang jumped to the side in shock, just in time to avoid a fireball that flew past him and engulfed his bed in flames. Aang crouched and instinctively spun his hands around, forming a ball of air that he jumped on. Almost instantly, another fireball flew over his head. At that moment, the terrified Aang was thankful for his relatively short stature. Almost afraid to breathe, he moved towards the wall before the man suddenly tumbled over him and halfway out his open window. Aang raced out the empty door and into the open arms of his guardian, Monk Gyatso.

"Gyatso, what's going on? Why are they attacking us?" Aang shook with fear as he tightly embraced the figure who had cared for him for so long.

"I don't know Aang, but there's no time to waste. We need to get away before more of them come."

"But how about the others? And how many of them are there? Maybe we can fight them off if there's not that many. After all, our whole nation is gathered here." Aang made a mock air slice for emphasis.

Gyatso reached a stairwell and glanced around him before heading down, leading Aang towards the stables on a ledge below the main ground of the temple. "No, it wouldn't be wise to try and fight them all off. Today the firebenders are at the peak of their power because of the comet." _Of all days to hold our summer retreat...Sozin must've been planning this for a long time. __  
_

"You'll be coming with me, right Gyatso?"

"Of course Aang. As long as I live, I will never leave you." Gyatso smiled reassuringly before they reached an overhang above the ledge. Crouching down, he peered over the side before retracting his head as a fusillade of fireballs raced towards him.

"Aang, we need to split up. I will join you after you get Appa into the air."

"Ok, but-"

"After I go down, you need to go straight towards the stables. Use your air scooter to move quickly."

"Ok Gyatso, but I'm not leaving without you."

"Don't worry, I will be right behind you. I can handle these firebenders. But please promise me that you'll lift off as soon as as you get on Appa."

"Fine." Aang sighed in defeat.

After rubbing Aang on his head and hugging him again, Gyatso leapt over the edge of the overhang and landed softly below, the sound of his feet cushioned by airbending. Spinning his arms again and rotating his body, he sucked in the air around him before extending his arms and releasing the air outwards. He turned towards Aang and nodded.

Aang turned and rode his air scooter towards the stables. Looking back, he saw the group of firebenders struggling to return to their feet as wave after wave of air sent them tumbling head over heels. "Wow, Gyatso wasn't lying when he said he could handle them." Aang grinned and called out Appa's name.

"Appa! Appa!"

Appa clambered out from a stall in the middle of the stable and roared a greeting. Aang spun once and landed softly on Appa's head. At that moment, he noticed the saddle attached behind him.

_Hey, who put the saddle back on Appa? I definitely took it off last night! Well_,_ I can hardly complain now..._

With a start, he remembered the promise he had made to Gyatso. For a moment, he hesitated before an irritated voice called from where he had just come from.

"Aang, get into the air!"

"Yip Yip!" Sighing deeply, Aang rose into the air on top of Appa.

Gyatso relaxed as he saw Aang finally lift into the air. He had considered telling Aang his identity as the Avatar the first chance he got, but he knew that if Aang found out _now,_ then he would inevitably try to stay and fight, which he knew was what the Fire nation expected. He needed time to talk to Aang away from danger so Aang wouldn't make a decision that could throw his safety in jeopardy.

"Shoot it down!"

Gyatso stared in abject horror as one of the soldiers shouted orders through the haze. Scanning the formation of soldiers, he quickly realized that their numbers were enough that their barrage would incinerate Aang and Appa.

Gray eyes forged into steel in the heat of gathering flames, Gyatso was forced to chose a different course of action.

"I know who the Avatar is! I can take you to him, if you let me live!" Gyatso's soft voice gained a hard edge, piercing the confusion around him.

The soldiers involuntarily froze and turned towards Gyatso. Their leader tilted his head and walked menacingly towards Gyatso. "Very well, take us to him, and we will spare your life."

Gyatso nodded, heading away from the stables and towards a dilapidated shack that stood on the corner of the ledge.

The officer behind Gyaso continued shouting orders. "Forget the air bison, one of the dragons will catch it!"

Gyatso paused slightly before he straightening his shoulders and moved on. No matter what, he knew he had to play his part. Hopefully his actions would be enough to make the difference for Aang.


	3. Chapter 3: Fight and Flight

Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or its characters (obviously).

Hope you enjoy. Also, tell me how I'm doing. Are my dialogue and characters believable? Is there anything I can do better?

* * *

Aang balled his fists from atop Appa's head.

"What is Gyatso doing? Who is the Avatar and why would he be in an abandoned shed?"

He guided Appa closer towards Gyatso before one of the soldiers on the ground turned towards him and unleashed a single, inordinately large fireball as a warning. While the rest of the soldiers followed Gyatso into the shed, Aang turned up sharply to avoid the fireball and flew Appa into the swirling clouds above.

"I'll be back Gyatso!"

Unfortunately, Aang's voice was lost in the cacophony of sounds around him.

* * *

"Are you serious? Why would the Avatar be in _here_?" The firebender behind Gyatso calmly crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes behind his full face mask.

Mind racing, Gyatso responded quickly.

"Appearances can be deceiving. This location would've been overlooked had I not been here. You should bring all your men if you wish to capture the Avatar, for he is extremely powerful." He smirked before turning back towards the shack. _Will they bite? __  
_

The officer raised his eyebrow at his second-in-command and shrugged. "How powerful can he be? He is supposed to be merely a child."

His lieutenant snorted and motioned for the rest of the men to follow the harmless traitor monk.

"And we have the comet on our side." He filed in behind the soldiers, leaving the other officer standing outside.

Gyatso strode into a back room under a hole in the roof and braced himself as he turned back towards the entrance to face the soldiers filing in.

"Where is he?"

Gyatso smiled cheerfully and shrugged, but beneath his benign visage his eyes narrowed imperceptibly as he spoke. "He must've been moved! I'll show you the backup location." _I wonder how long I can pull this off. _

"You're lying, you don't know who or where he is! You're just trying to distract us."

"Ah, but I do know who and where he is. But you're not finding out from me." _Apparently not much longer..._

The lieutenant glared at him as he drew his hand back and summoned flames.

"Prepare to die." The men behind him made similar motions, their palms alight with fire.

For all his life Gyatso had lived peacefully, vowing to never harm - much less kill - a living being. It was ironic that he would break the vow on his last day, but he was determined to protect Aang at all costs, sacrificing his own spiritual purity if he had to. _So be it. _

Gyatso spun his arms as the flames leapt towards him, forming a ball of air and allowing the flames to spin around him before releasing them. For these men, their own power - their lack of control over it - would be their downfall. On any other day, a wave of fire would've dissipated harmlessly after being rebounded by an airbender, but today their own flames were so intense that they were still deadly at a close range. While the soldiers prepared to attack again, a ring of fire and air suddenly spun towards them, cutting them down before they could shift into a defensive stance and shield themselves. Gyatso collapsed on the dusty floor, sweat pouring from his brow as he took shallow, shuddering breaths. The effort had utterly drained him, and he knew that he would need several minutes to recover.

Unfortunately, his good luck had run out.

The officer outside gaped in shock as the outer wall of the shack blew outwards. Shaking his head in disbelief, he made his way into the room, stepping over the still-smoking bodies of his comrades and wrinkling his nose at the smell. It was pitiful how his men had been defeated by a single Air nomad monk, on the day of Sozin's comet no less. _I'm not getting promoted after this, _he thought dejectedly. _  
_

* * *

Aang turned Appa back towards the ground as he saw the fireball disappear into the clouds above him. He would save Gyatso, he knew it. All he would have to do was to get low enough to the ground so that Gyatso could airbend himself onto Appa's back, and then they would fly away together, like it was supposed to be.

"I'm coming for you Gyatso!"

* * *

Gyatso remained still on the floor as the shape of a man in red armor strode into his line of sight.

"You are a fool for thinking you could trick us."

"No, you are the one who is foolish." _Well a__ctually your lieutenant. You were smart for not following him in. __  
_

The officer was enraged, but he held back his anger to savor the moment when he would end the monk's life. "Any last words from a weak, foolish old man?"

Gyatso looked up into the sky and spotted a sky bison heading straight towards him. Perhaps he would could help Aang one, final time. "Yes, I do." Sucking in as much air as he could lying on the ground, he shouted his final words. "LEAVE ME AANG, GO!"

His own safety was of no concern to himself - he had lived a long life filled with love and joy, especially during the past twelve years when he had cared for Aang. He was simply sorry that he couldn't be there for Aang as he grew up, to help guide him as he realized his identity as the Avatar, or even to _tell_ him that _he_ wasthe Avatar. Nevertheless, Gyatso took solace in the fact that his own sacrifice would give Aang a fighting chance to attain everything that Gyatso wanted for him. Aang deserved so much more, and Gyatso was sad that he would only be able to help him this one time. Even deeper down however, he felt fear. Fear about how Aang would cope in this new world without him, about how he would even _survive_. Gyatso had never known so much fear in in his life as he did then.

_I'm sorry I can't be with you, my boy. _

Gyatso reluctantly began to whisper a familiar spirit mantra, an ancient tradition he had carried out for many of his fellow Airbenders in their time of passing.

Now his time had come.

The Firebender shook his head and shifted his stance for the killing blow. "What a crazy old man...the world will be better without his kind." Punching downwards at the weary monk, a stream of fire left his clenched fist.

* * *

Aang's heart was racing as Appa dove towards the shed. Just a few dozen meters from the ground, a shout flew past his ears.

"That must be Gyatso," he thought. "Only an airbender can shout that loudly. And he promised me that he would come with me...What is he doing? I can't leave without him!"

Suddenly, as a fireball flashed below the hole in the shack's roof, a dragon emerged from the depths, shrouded by the swirling mist. Before either Appa or the dragon could swerve to avoid one another they collided midair, sending both tumbling into the depths below. Aang held on tightly as he Appa spun about, the mountainside racing past them. Luckily, Appa recovered much quicker than the dragon and he raced away before it could reorient itself. Flying back up, Aang noticed a single man in red armor striding out of the shed, which he noticed for the first time had been completely collapsed. He slowed down and guided Appa closer to get a closer look.

"What did you do with Gyatso?"

The man sneered and gathered flames in his palms before making a jabbing motion and shooting them at Aang.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to see him soon enough. Come closer and I can send you to meet him."

"You're lying, where is he?!"

The man declined to answer Aang's pleas and instead began to launch a barrage of flying kicks and punches, forcing Appa to move away in order to avoid the blows. Aang tried to move Appa closer to the ground but he wouldn't budge, and the roar of a dragon from below sent him fleeing into the clouds above once again.

"In a way, I wasn't lying." the man in red chuckled to himself.

* * *

Aang was determined to return for Gyatso once he got the dragon off his tail. After scanning the horizon, Aang decided to fly out towards a blanket of clouds above a nearby ocean, hoping to lose his pursuer in the natural cover the clouds afforded. The dragon was far behind him, and the blasts of fire from the grim-faced old man riding atop it cut clear swathes through the grey expanse.

Firelord Sozin squinted as an Air bison darted left and right ahead of him. He gathered another pair of fireballs in his hand before launching them, hoping to clear away the cover concealing his prey.

Aang noticed the diminishing cloud cover hiding him and decided to head deeper into the ocean towards a funnel of rotating storm clouds. Aang looked back to see the dragon following at a distance, seemingly waiting for Aang to be engulfed by the storm. Aang turned back towards the storm as lightning and rain flew around him.

Firelord Sozin didn't bother to follow the Air bison into the spinning storm. Instead, he moved his arms in a circular fashion in front of him before targeting the Air bison with an enormous stream of lightning, hoping to paralyze it and let the storm do the rest. He was far more interested in catching the Avatar, whom would he knew would be back at the temple foolishly trying to protect the other Airbenders. After repeating the motion a few times, Sozin smirked as the distant figure of the Air bison suddenly jerked before tumbling through the air and into the ocean. His work here done, he guided his dragon back towards the Southern Air Temple to find the Avatar.

Aang could only hold on Appa's reins for dear life as they both tumbled haphazardly through the air. Before he could react they slammed into the frothing water, the force of the impact knocking both of them unconscious. As Aang drifted unconsciously through the ocean, his eyes and the tattoo on his head suddenly began glowing with a bright blue light before he pushed his fists together and began to form a ball of ice around himself and Appa. In a mere few seconds they were encased in a spherical iceberg already sinking towards the depths, weighed down by Appa's mass. It rolled about on the seabed as the underwater currents began to push it away from the storm.

Firelord Sozin noticed a flash of blue light in his periphery as he flew away, but he ignored it. After all, it was obviously lightning - the storm finishing off the Air bison and its rider that Sozin had left to die.

He had far more important work to do.

Before long, smoke was billowing from every orifice of the Southern Air Temple as shadowy figures strode back and forth in the haze. The panicked yells of surprised airbenders became ear-wrenching cries before grimly dissolving into the crackling of burning bodies. While some were gathered into a mass grave, many more were simply left where they had fallen.

Typically hard to pin down, the Air nomads had been backed into a corner and slaughtered en masse on the eve of their yearly gathering. The handful who managed to escape into the air were ruthlessly hunted down by the marauding dragon patrols.

A similarly grim scenario played out at the other three Air temples, albeit on a much smaller scale.

Firelord Sozin landed his dragon in the central courtyard and impatiently demanded to know if the Avatar had been found and dealt with. To his surprise, only a handful of the captured monks knew who the Avatar was, and none of them would - or could - identify him out of the corpses that had begun to pile up. To Sozin, it made no difference, as the charred bodies all looked the same to him.

He met with his generals to decide his next best course of action.

"I don't care who the Avatar is, I just want to know if he's dead!"

"Sir, it might be possible that the monks didn't tell the Avatar of his own identity."

"And why would they do that? Wouldn't they tell everyone so that they could work together to protect him?"

"Perhaps they decided that it would be too risky. The Avatar would inevitably try to stay and fight if he knew his own identity."

"What, the Avatar wouldn't run away if told to do so? Isn't the Avatar a mere boy?"

"Not if he knew he was the Avatar. The young often understand the world in simple terms."

Another man growled before speaking up, his distinctive face framed by enormous sideburns. "We should begin the search for the Avatar immediately. It is possible that he has in fact escaped. And even if he is already dead, we won't know for many more years."

A third man shook his head and replied eagerly. "My Lord, today we have struck a fatal blow against the enemy. We have not only eliminated the Air nomads as a threat, but also possibly the Avatar as well."

Sozin turned away from his men and towards the sky, now the color of the crimson fluid staining the ground all around him. "In any case, this means that neither the current Avatar nor the any in the future will have an Airbending master to train with. The fact that we will never have to face a fully realized Avatar guarantees our eventual victory. Nevertheless, I agree with the Admiral. Begin the search for the Avatar immediately."

Shielded from even the hint of sunlight by its depth, a giant ball of ice continued to roll across the sea floor towards an unknown destination.

New Section added 12-15-12

The officer without a squad struggled to explain the circumstance of their disappearance. Finally, he came up with an answer that diverted the blame squarely onto their now-nonexistent shoulders _and _pleased his superiors.

"They were weak, and they deserved to die."

Firelord Sozin smiled at that.

* * *

A/N

I'm definitely going to have to re-watch episodes as I write. xD


	4. Chapter 4: Go Fish

A/N

And, the moment you've all been waiting for...right?

I try to follow canon as closely as I can to the moment Sokka and Katara meet Aang. From there, the plot begins to _diverge. _Much of the opening dialogue is taken directly from the beginning of Ep. 1.

Disclaimer: dialogue, characters, world everything in between belongs to Nick, Mike & Bryan.

* * *

The Arctic is a land of vivid contrasts. In daytime it's framed by gleaming ice-cliffs and a bleak, pale-blue sky above and the familiar sight of icebergs big and small meandering below. At night the ice cliffs reveal their shadows and the water becomes a glossy film, bathing in the moonlight under a cloudless sky. At all times the land is dominated by a myriad shades of blue, from the slight tinge of the horizon to the consuming darkness of the depths.

On a day that _began_ like any other, a cramped, dingy canoe lazily wound its way through the maze of frozen obstacles. Both of its occupants, a boy and a girl, were dressed in complete arctic attire, from cozy-looking parkas to sturdy boots.

The boy leaned slightly out of his bench as he eyed the water around the canoe, raking his eyes back and forth across the glassy surface for any sign of a potential catch.

"It's not getting away from me this time. Watch and learn Katara, this is how you catch a fish." he voiced confidently. _Man, I'm hungry...I haven't caught a fish all morning. _

Katara was sitting at the other end of the boat and arched her eyebrows at her brother's show of bravado before a slight movement to her left caught her eye - a single fish swimming lazily just below the surface. She took a single glove off, feeling unsure about her chances but willing to give it a try. Raising her arm and swirling a hand above the clueless fish, Katara noticed a few slight ripples breaking the surface of the water before a ball of water emerged with it in tow. _Hey! I did it! _

"Sokka, look!" Katara could barely contain her excitement as she moved the floating orb to follow the fish's motion.

"Shh, Katara. You're going to scare them away. Mmmmmm," Sokka thought aloud, "I can already smell it cooking."

"But Sokka, I caught one!" Katara's motions became increasingly frantic as the fish started to notice its rather _unusual _surroundings. _C'mon Sokka, look up for once! _

Sokka continued to concentrate on the prize before him to the chagrin of his sister. Shifting backwards in preparation for a lunge, he ran the butt of his spear into the floating ball of water, causing the fish to fly back into the ocean and the water to splash down on himself.

"Hey!" _Sokka! Why do-wait, why is he all wet?_

"Ugh!" Sokka exclaimed, "Why is it," _*breath* _"that every time" _*breath* _"you play with _magic _water" _*breath*_ "I get soaked?!" Sokka glared at his sister and balled his fists to squeeze out the bone-chilling water in his gloves. _Not every time, but still...she really acts like a baby sometimes!_

Katara made an exasperated sigh at her brother's theatrics before chiding him. "It's _not _magic, it's Waterbending, and its-"

"Yeah, yeah, an ancient art unique to our culture, blah, blah, blah. Look, I'm just saying," Sokka grabbed his hair and wrung it - "that if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself." Beyond his own embarrassment, Sokka was annoyed that it would take a while for the chilliness seeping through his clothes to dissipate.

"You're calling _me_ weird? I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water!" Katara leaned back and grinned mockingly at her brother, who had unluckily chosen that exact moment to prove her point. Sokka had rolled up a his sleeve and was gazing appreciatively at his sharp-looking aquatic double before he noticed his sister's biting comeback. Sokka turned towards his sister to make another retort before a jolt to their canoe signaled an abrupt end to their banter.

Sokka turned back around to face the currents as the canoe began to sway in the frothing water. A sudden flow ensnared the boat, forcing Sokka to paddle furiously to avoid bashing it against the unassuming frozen obstacle course.

"Watch out! Go left! Go left!" Katara exclaimed alarmingly.

Time and time again Sokka miraculously avoided turning their canoe into soggy driftwood, but one slip-up was all it took for Sokka and Katara to end up shivering on a ice floe as the sad remains of their vessel were swallowed by the ravenous ocean.

The siblings were temporarily stunned by the turn of events but Katara's surprise soon turned to indignation.

"You call that _left?_"

Sokka vented his frustration with a sarcastic retort. "You don't like my steering? Well, maybe you should've _waterbended _us out of the ice." Sokka made a mocking wave of his arms that was surprisingly reminiscent of waterbending.

Katara felt a tightening sensation in her gut as she got to her feet and pointedly rebuked her brother. "So it's my fault?"

Sokka began to lecturing his sister in a haughty voice, oblivious or ignorant of the anger that flashing across her face. "I _knew _I should've left you home! Leave it to a girl to screw things up!"

Katara could no longer contain her simmering anger, causing her voice to escalate as she pointed at her brother. She swung her arms for emphasis as she formed her thoughts into words.

"You are the most sexist...immature...nut brained...I'm _embarrassed _to be _related _to you!" Swinging her arms a final time, a large iceberg behind her began to fissure.

Sokka had avoided looking directly at his sister during the opening barrage of words but he looked up at the sound of splitting ice. He could only watch helplessly as his sister continued unabated.

"Ever since mom died, I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier!"

"Uh...Katara..." Sokka interrupted as he leaned away from the intimidating figure before him.

Katara ignored him and continued, her face increasingly contorted by the release of her pent-up frustration. "I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, _not pleasant!" _Katara continued to swing her arms wildly between each of her complaints, causing the iceberg to splinter further, but she remained oblivious to the effects of her motions.

As the crack widened Sokka decided to try getting through to his sister one last time. "Katara, settle down!"

But his desperate attempt at calming his sister's temper only served to send it over a precipice.

"No that's it! I'm _done_ helping you! From now on, you're on your own!"

A final swing of her arms completed the iceberg's fissure, causing a deep rumbling as the ice fractured further . Katara turned around in time to see pieces of the towering iceberg tumbling into the water and a massive wave cascading towards them. They held on tightly to their floating sanctuary as the wave rocked it back and forth.

Sokka spoke up when the motion finally settled down. "Okay, you've gone from weird to freakish, Katara."

Katara seemed to take this as a compliment. "You mean _I _did that?" she said in awe.

"Yep. _Congratulations_." Sokka snidely chimed in.

Suddenly, a _glowing_ ball of ice began to rise from the waters in their vicinity. Sokka and Katara backed away slightly as it came to rest directly in front of them.

Katara noticed a figure inside with glowing _arrows _sitting in a..._crosslegged position_? _This is beyond weird, _she thought, _I've never seen anything like this. And who is that person inside?_

The figure inside opened its eyes, revealing a radiant, ethereal glowing.

Sokka bit down a gasp as he stared in shock at the entire spectacle. _Did Katara do this too? And is that person inside still...**alive?**_ He wondered. _It can't be human if it's still alive, _he decided. _Maybe it's a spirit!_ Considering the day's turn of events, it wasn't as far-fetched as it sounded.

"He's alive! We need to help!" Katara broke the silence to grab Sokka's club from behind his back and rushed to free the figure from within the ice.

"Katara, get back here! We don't know what that thing is!"

Katara ignored him and bashed the side of the iceberg repeatedly until a loud hiss and a cloud of mist suddenly began to emanate from within, followed by a widening fissure on the iceberg from top to bottom. It finally split open with a booming *_crack_* and a flood of dazzling light.

After the small torrent of wind and snow blew over their heads the siblings returned their gaze to the terrifying spectacle. A boy dressed in striking orange and yellow robes emerged to stand on top of the small mound of ice.

"Stop!" Sokka commanded as he gripped his spear threateningly. However, before the boy could advance further, the dazzling blue light faded from his eyes and he toppled towards the ground.

Katara gasped as she ran to catch him. _He's alive...I feel it!_

Sokka poked the boy's head with the butt of his spear before Katara scolded him. "Stop it!"

"Ughhhh." Aang moaned halfheartedly. His eyes fluttered as he returned to consciousness. Cracking open his eyelids he squinted against the bright snow, unable to discern anything except for a blindingly white expanse before closing them again. He leaned back to take a shuddering breath. _Where am I? _he thought. Slowly, all of the feeling in his body returned - the hard crust of ice on his robes, the biting wind chafing his exposed skin...and a warm breath tickling his face. He cracked open an eye to find a stranger hovering over him. He resisted the instinct to recoil from the sudden, close contact and stayed absolutely still.

Katara was leaning in closer to get a better look at the pale boy reclining on the ice but stopped when he tensed slightly. She realized it was a natural reaction given how close she had moved to his face, so she decided to move away slightly, tugging on his back to help him sit upright. He didn't seem to be in hurt or pain at all despite the bitter cold and his thin attire, but rather..._frightened_. Katara resolved not to scare the boy and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

Aang opened his other eye as he was gripped by a feeling of vertigo. The horizon tilted slightly before he realized that he was being helped into a sitting position by the stranger, who was _smiling _at him from within a heavy coat. He sighed in relief and tried to return a smile before he noticed a pair of what could only be described as _loops_ of hair fluttering in the wind._ What?...she's a girl...?!_ For a moment he _stared _at her before his mind caught up with his eyes. Aang was overwhelmed by the thoughts flooding his head and he looked down to hide his blush, unable to look at the girl straight-faced. He then scootched away before his surprise could overwhelm him completely and cause further him embarrassment. _Why am I acting like this? _he berated himself, _I mean-_

Sokka raised his eyebrows at the suspicious behavior, while Katara was visibly dejected at the boy's sudden reaction. "Are you okay? What's the matter?" Katara's gentle voice carried easily over the short distance between them.

"It's just..It's just that you're a girl...and you're really...-" Aang was cut off by Katara's unanticipated (at least for him) outburst.

"Augh! Are you _kidding _me?"

Aang was buried by a small avalanche of snow.

Sokka stifled a guffaw as he doubled over with laughter.

* * *

A/N

:)

Poor Aang.


	5. Chapter 5: Remedial World History

A/N  
The adventure continues...  
Disclaimer: dialogue, characters, world everything in between belongs to Nick, Mike & Bryan.

Again, a good portion of the dialogue is taken from the episodes, although some of it is tweaked to fit the changed story. In particular, you might recognize Katara's dialogue towards the end from her opening monologue at the beginning of Ep. 1.

* * *

Aang was caught completely off guard as the girl snapped at him. _Great, I just had to make the first person I meet angry..._Before he could rectify the situation he was buried under a pile of snow.

* * *

Over the horizon, a hulking iron ship parted the waves as it steamed southwards towards the frozen arctic. The sparse deck was devoid of life except for a grim-looking teenage boy narrowing his eyes at the sudden appearance of the glowing halo of light. Behind him, a rotund older man calmly sat crosslegged before a small table filled with game pieces.

"Uncle, do you know what this means?" the older boy asked almost rhetorically.

"I won't be able to finish my game?" the older man guessed without looking up.

"That light came from an _incredibly_ powerful source. It _has _to be the Avatar!" the boy clarified. "His time in hiding is over." _And so is my search. _

The elderly man sighed. "Or it's just the celestial lights. We've been down this road before, Prince Zuko. I don't want you to get too excited over nothing." _Here we go again _he thought before gesturing at the empty spot opposite him. "Please, sit. Why don't you enjoy a cup of calming Jasmine tea?"

"I don't need any calming tea! I need to capture the Avatar! Helmsman, head a course for the light!" _I've come so far, and he wants to serve me tea __**now**__? _Zuko seethed angrily.

Wordlessly, Prince Zuko paced across the deck to the bow of the ship as it continued steaming towards the optical phenomenon.

* * *

"Seriously! Why does it matter that I'm a -" Katara sputtered before catching herself. _He's probably just confused, _she told herself. _And now he needs your help_.

Katara helped Aang to dig himself out of the snow while Sokka appeared by her side and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, why does it matter that she's a girl?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Oh _come _on Sokka, you were just telling me how useless-"

"I never said that you were _useless_! And besides Katara, I was trying to apologize and you didn't give me a chance!"

"No, you just used all your chances to keep making fun of me and to-"

Sokka narrowed his eyes at Aang as he got his first close look at the young airbender, who was wearing suspiciously bright, _fiery _colors. A sudden fear crossed his mind. If he found out Katara was a Waterbender... "Katara, move away from him...he might be a Fire Nation spy!"

A deafening silence ensued as the conversation came to an abrupt end.

Katara was the first to recover. "SOKKA! Wha-What is wrong with you? He's obviously just lost and he needs our help! Why are you always so paranoid?"

"Well, he's wearing _bright _clothes, like from the _Fire Nation _you know? I just thought that this all seems really suspicious...I mean how does a kid randomly end up at the South Pole?"

"Wait, we're at the South Pole?" Aang interrupted.

Sokka couldn't miss the chance to make another sarcastic remark. "Well, if you haven't noticed, it's all _icy_, _cold_, and we're dressed in parkas! Oh, and by the way, where are _you _from?"

Katara was becoming infuriated at her brother's attitude towards Aang. "Sokka, you don't have to be so mean to him, he's _just a kid_, like us!"

Aang tried to calm the escalating argument before it got out of hand. _Geez, and I thought they were related! _he thought.

"I'm from the Southern Air Temple, and I'm an air-" Aang's response was trailed off when he noticed the looks of surprise on Katara's and Sokka's faces. "You know where the Southern Air Temple is, right? It's not far from... the coast of the southern arctic."

"You're an AIRBENDER!" Katara exclaimed as her mind pieced together all the clues. _But __**how?**_, she thought to herself.

"Yes, yes I am! How did you know?" _More like how **didn't **you know when you saw my robes and tattoos, _Aang thought glumly. _It's like they've never seen an airbender before, which doesn't make any sense! Airbenders visit the Southern Water tribe every year! _

Sokka remained genuinely surprised at the turn of events, but he decided to settle the matter once and for all. "Prove it." he challenged.

Aang twisted his body and spun into the air with a slight *_whoosh_* to land on the top of an icy ledge. Before the siblings could mentally process what they had seen, Aang decided to introduce himself properly. "By the way, I'm Aang, and" Aang pointed to an amorphous shape behind him "this is Appa, my flying bison!"

"And this is Katara, my flying sister." Sokka retorted almost too quickly.

Katara rolled her eyes at her brother's abrasiveness. "Come on Sokka, he's clearly an airbender, so you can stop bugging him."

"Ok, fine." Sokka grumbled.

Aang watched the exchange with a sinking feeling in his stomach as he remembered the previous day's events with a start. _Oh no..._he thought. _I..I have to go back! How long have I been gone?! Is Gyatso ok? _He grit his teeth and turned away from the bickering siblings.

"Hey, um I have to go now!" Aang said suddenly. He airbent his way over the top of the ledge and disappeared behind the remains of the iceberg.

"Great Sokka, now you scared him away!" Katara clambered after Aang to come face to face with a flying bison.

"No, he said he has to go. And we need to get going too! How are we going to get back to the village without a boat?"

Aang was mounting Appa when he heard Sokka's comment. _I should help these people,_ he thought. _They could __**die **__if I left them here! _

"Well, if you need a ride I can bring you to your village! Appa here can fly."

"Well...I guess we have no other choice now that our canoe is gone." Sokka admitted.

"It's can't be that bad," Katara interjected. "and I think it's actually pretty cool!" She peered at Appa and rubbed his fur before Aang helped her up into the saddle.

_Great, _Sokka thought. _Things just keep getting weirder. _

Sokka was making his way past Appa's enormous head before the air bison suddenly sneezed and splattered him with a generous helping of snot.

"Ewww!" Sokka's voice nearly reached a hypersonic pitch. He desperately tried to rub it off, but it only stuck to his gloves.

Aang jumped down and blew away the offending gunk with a billowing blast of air that nearly knocked Sokka over. "Sorry!" he apologized. _I've never seen Appa sneeze like __**that**__, _he thought as he massaged Appa's nose, before helping Sokka up into the saddle.

"First time flyers, hold on tight!" Aang said with a wide smile. He motioned to the saddle behind him as he grabbed Appa's reins.

"Yip Yip!"

Appa grunted noisily once before he leaped into the air...and flopped into the water with a splash.

"Oh _wow_!" Sokka could barely conceal his sarcasm. "A real _flying _bison, huh?"

"Well, he's just...tired! That's all." Aang sighed dejectedly. "Where is your village?"

Katara pointed from within the saddle over Aang's shoulder to a barely distinguishable dot in the distance. "Over there, on the edge of the ocean." Despite Appa's underwhelming performance, she was still fascinated by the beast.

Aang turned Appa towards it as the flying bison began to pick up speed. _I just need to get them to their village safely,_ Aang thought. _Gyatso would understand. _Aang leaned back in his saddle and faced the sky before he noticed Katara leaning over the front of the saddle to look at him. "This won't take long, you'll see!" he reassured her.

Katara acknowledged him with a small smile and Aang unconsciously grinned in response despite his own tumultuous thoughts. Katara was about to turn around to check on Sokka before she noticed Aang still smiling at her.

"Um, why are you smiling like that?"

"Oh, I was smiling?" Aang innocently replied.

Sokka leaned back and stuck out his tongue. "Ughhh." he complained. _Not only is all of this weird, but the kid is weird too!_

Katara turned around to glare at her brother as Aang's smile dissolved into a slight frown. _Oops, _he thought, _there I go again being weird. Maybe I need to relax a bit... _He reclined further into Appa's soft fur and stared off into the sky.

* * *

Back on the ship, Zuko made his way to the bridge and stood on a small balcony facing the biting arctic wind as copious amounts of grey ash billowed from the smokestack behind him.

The older man stood behind him, his figure framed by the doorway. "I'm going to bed now." He yawned noisily and stretched his limbs. "Yep, a man needs his rest." He snuck in a glance at Zuko, who had not stirred from his position and continued to stare into the horizon. _Oh, bother, _he thought. "Prince Zuko, you need some sleep. Even if you're right, and the Avatar is alive, you won't find him. Your father, grandfather and great-grandfather all tried and failed." _Not that I want __**you **__to fail_.

Zuko bit out a terse response. "Because their _honor_ didn't hinge on the Avatar's capture. Mine _does._ This coward's hundred years in hiding are over."_  
_

* * *

Sokka watched nonchalantly at the monotonous landscape from his vantage point in the back of the saddle. _This is really slow, _he thought, _but I guess it beats having to paddle all the way back home. I wonder what Katara is up to now? _He glanced quickly at his sister before he returned his gaze to one of the ubiquitous icebergs that dotted the arctic.

Katara pondered the implications of Aang being an airbender as the icebergs slowly drifted by. _No one has seen an airbender in a hundred years, but then one shows up on our doorstep. It can't be a coincidence - Maybe he knows something about the Avatar! _

She leaned over the saddle once again to try to settle her swirling thoughts.

"Hey."

Aang's gaze shifted towards her. "Hey, what'cha thinking about?"

_That's some weird slang, _she thought absentmindedly. "I guess I was wondering, you being an airbender and all, if you had any idea what happened to the Avatar?"

"Oh, no. I didn't know him." He paused. "I mean, I was going to find out but I never did. Sorry." he quickly added.

"Ok, just curious. Thanks."

"Sure."

Katara returned to the saddle to rejoin her brother. _Well, it was worth a shot I guess. _

_What happened to the Avatar?_, Aang wondered. _The Firebenders attacked before his identity was announced to everyone. He probably stayed to fight so the other Air Nomads could escape, _Aang reassured himself. "Man, I sure am tired," he murmured. "Maybe if I take a quick nap..." Aang's thoughts drifted away as he fell asleep.

* * *

After a fair bit of swimming in the frigid ocean, Appa was glad to have finally made it to the village. Despite his thick fur, he had begun to notice the chilliness seeping into his body. Nevertheless, the bison was more than willing to swim in the ocean, as it was undeniably better than his previous travel experience - that of flying around in a storm while being erratically targeted with lighting.

"_Finally_, we're here." Sokka said.

"It didn't actually take that long, you know Sokka." Katara reminded.

Aang was fast asleep on Appa's neck.

"Come on, let's go. We've been gone long enough." Sokka said as he clambered off the saddle.

"We can't just _leave _him here Sokka! What if he falls off? We should find somewhere safe to let him rest." Katara made her way to her brother's side and pointed at Aang. _After all, he did just come out of a iceberg _Katara added.

"You're right. You go find a tent and I'll carry him." Sokka stood on his tiptoes and cradled Aang in his arms before lowering him onto his shoulders. _Wow, this kid is light_, he thought. _Or maybe I'm just that strong! _he grinned to himself.

"I think there's an empty tent over here." Katara voiced from a distance.

"Coming!"

Sokka trudged over the ice and deposited Aang inside the tent on a bedroll before returning for Aang's belongings, which consisted of a staff and a miscellaneous bundle. To be honest, he was becoming annoyed at all the attention Katara was giving Aang. _I'm not really annoyed, it's just that we both have chores to do, and we've wasted enough time as it is! _he protested to himself.

"Wait, let me undress him first so he doesn't get dirt all over the blankets." _And so they don't have to be washed __**again **__for the third time this week. Seriously, why does Katara feel the need to be so perfectly neat and clean all the time? I mean, we're living in freaking tents and- _Sokka's rambling thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Katara spoke up.

"Wait, I washed my hands, let me-"

"No, it'd be weird for you to...undress him like that."

_Great, so now __**I'm **__the weird one again. When will it end? _thought Katara exasperatedly.

"Sokka, I didn't mean it like _that! _Geez, why do you always assume the worst about everything?!"

Sokka finished his work and closed the tent flap. "Whatever, I need to go train the warriors, so you can go take care of Aang."

"Well, fine. Go train your _warriors_." Katara said. _Really though, I don't mind_ she admitted. _There's something special about this boy...I have to find out more! _She made her way to the front of the tent and pushed aside the flaps before crouching besides the sleeping boy. She took a blanket and draped it over his shivering body.

Aang stirred in his sleep as he grimaced and furrowed his brows.

_Huh, _Katara wondered, _I don't think he'll mind if I wake him up during a nightmare. _She gently rocked Aang's body.

"Aang? Aang! Wake up."

Aang's bleary countenance cleared as he awoke and to find Katara's worried face hovering over him. _Ugh, what a weird dream - or was that a flashback? It seemed awfully familiar, but I don't know from where! _Aang twisted to get out from under his blankets but paused slightly when he noticed his missing clothes. _I wonder who undressed me? _he thought with a blush. "You didn't undress me-"

Katara sighed again. "No, Sokka did. He thought it would be...oh nevermind. It's okay now, we're in the village! Come on, get ready."

Katara turned towards the tent flap but paused when she caught sight of the pale blue tattoos twisting over Aang's body. _Those sure are strange...I haven't seen anything like them before! Well, it's just another item on today's list of oddities._

Aang grabbed his staff and followed Katara into the center of the village before she introduced him to the assembled tribe.

"Aang, this is the entire village. Entire village, Aang."

_This sure is a small village, _he thought with a start. _And where are all the men? With all the tents, this is more like a camp site! _Aang bowed respectfully towards what he assumed was the leader of the village, but the group of villagers cowered away from him slightly as the older-looking leader approached him.

"Uh, why are they all looking at me like that? Did Appa sneeze on me?" Aang was visibly dismayed by their reactions._ I've met lots of people, but none of them were afraid of an __**Airbender! **__Maybe it's what Sokka said about my clothes, they __**are **__awfully bright...but then why would they fear the Fire Nation? It doesn't make any sense. _

The elderly woman approached Aang and spoke up. "Well, no one has seen an airbender in a hundred years. We thought they were extinct, until my granddaughter and grandson found you."

"_Extinct?" _

"Aang, this is my grandmother."

"Call me Gran-Gran."

Aang's confusion was written all over his face as he tried to understand what he had heard. _Maybe they just haven't been visited by any airbenders in a __**long **__time. M__aybe this is a really isolated village? It's pretty small and our traders usually don't-_

Aang's train of thought was cut off as Sokka suddenly grabbed his staff.

"What is this, a weapon? You can't _stab _anything with this!"

"It's not for stabbing! It's for airbending." Aang explained as he opened his gliderstaff to demonstrate his flying abilities, earning a chorus of _ooh's _and _ah's _from all the assembled villagers except for Sokka.

Katara was engrossed by the aerial performance before her grandmother appeared in front of her with a slight frown on her face.

"Alright, no more playing. Come on, Katara, you have chores."

Katara made a disappointed sigh and trudged her way to a wash basin before thawing a series of ice blocks with waterbending. Before long, the initial fascination of the villagers had worn off and they too dispersed as Aang landed softly on the ground. Sokka gathered the young boys at far end of the village for their warrior training. Aang watched Sokka's attempt at instilling bravery in the squirming, barely potty-trained toddlers before he turned back to the village to look for Katara.

_Where is she? _he thought. He was still confused about what Katara's grandmother had said and realized that he needed to figure out exactly why they had never seen any airbenders before he left. _How far __**is **__this place from the Southern Air Temple? _he wondered. _Maybe that's why they haven't seen any airbenders in a hundred years. _He found Katara standing by a wash basin, moving a orb of water through the air to fill the container. _Whoa, she's a waterbender! _he realized.

"Hey Katara," Aang piped up, "I know you're busy, but-" he said before Katara interrupted irritably.

"Do you need something- oh, it's you. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, things are fine," he lied, "but I was wondering what your grandmother meant by saying your people haven't seen any airbenders in a hundred years."

"Well, we haven't. At all."

Aang felt his stomach twisting but he pressed on. "I mean, is your village isolated from contact with the outside world? I don't mean to be rude, but this village is pretty small, and there isn't much that us airbenders can use from the Water Tribes."

"No, I mean **nobody **has seen airbenders in a hundred years. We're not isolated at all. In fact, until recently we still sent traders to to some of the southern Earth kingdom ports, but people from all over the world who passed through there said the same thing - that they haven't seen any airbenders for hundred years. If someone had seen any throughout the last century, or if anyone knew someone who had, we would know too." _You're an airbender...what do you know?_

Halfway through Katara's explanation, Aang's mind began to peel in layers. Before he could process everything Katara had said, she finished and her expectant gaze settled on him. _A hundred years...are these people crazy? I need to get to the bottom of this! _He hastily formed a response to try to fill in the increasingly obvious holes in his knowledge.

"Okay, wait. Can you start from the beginning and explain everything that happened in the past century?" _Maybe this will clear things up_, he thought.

"Ok..." _Here we go with a history lesson,_ Katara thought dejectedly to herself. "Well, my grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace, when the Avatar kept peace between Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked."

Aang nodded silently even as he raised an objection in his mind. _Well, it wasn't that long ago - maybe I was out of it for a few days, I guess. But then why did I not need to shave my hair? And the hundred years still don't make sense - the last Avatar only died twelve years ago. _Pushing his doubts aside temporarily he nodded for Katara to continue.

"Only the Avatar mastered all four elements, only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years have passed, and the Fire Nat-"

"Wait," exclaimed Aang breathlessly, "Why do you keep saying that a hundred years have passed?" A dawning realization unfolded in his mind, accompanied by a further tightening of his stomach. _Wait...no airbenders for a hundred years? And a hundred years since the Fire Nation attacked? Could it be..._

"What do you mean? That's because everyone knows that the war has been going on for a hundred years." Katara raised an eyebrow at Aang before sending a worried look at Aang's confounded expression.

Inside his mind, Aang was reeling. _Just how long was I in that iceberg? And even more importantly, like Sokka said, how am I still ALIVE? None of this make sense!_

"Uh, ok...I guess I was REALLY out of it..." Aang muttered, as he hopelessly tried to smile at Katara. However, she remained unconvinced and became increasingly worried. "Anyways," Aang continued, "isn't the Avatar supposed to keep balance in the world?"

Katara pushed her doubts back as she answered Aang's next question. "Well, thats the thing. Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is brok-"

"Ok, STOP." Aang winced at his surprisingly sharp voice and gripped his head tightly as he turned away from Katara, who had stood up and was making her way slowly to him.

"How is that even possible? How is ANY of this possible? As far as I've learned from the monks, the Avatar cycle doesn't just _break_! I was about to find out-"

"Aang," Katara murmured as she slowly approached him, "calm down. I don't believe the Avatar cycle is broken, I was just telling you that most people did - but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow the Avatar will return to save the world."

Aang shook his head violently in denial. _I...I can't believe this...it's all wrong! Where is the Avatar...and how could he let this happen to the Air Nomads? What does she mean in saying the Avatar was never reborn?! How am I still alive after all this time instead of being older or dead? _Aang's fragile grip on reality shattered under the weight of a thousand unanswered questions.

* * *

A/N. I hope that was a decent end to the chapter  
I just remembered I can respond to reviews! Here we go.

Bendergurl123: Thanks! Dialogue is important for making the story more immersive. I'm glad you approve - and any suggestions or thoughts are welcomed and appreciated!

Jokermask18: Thanks, I like that you like this. :)

The Melon Lord Approves: Thanks, I just hope my writing is up to par with the idea! Any suggestions or comments are welcome.

RandomPow3r: Thanks, I try to update it a minimum of once a week, but this week as you can see I've been obsessed with it!

bs13: I dunno, I guess because this doesn't have that many reviews? _glances around accusingly. _Just kidding. Well, it doesn't matter now that you found it, right? ;)


	6. Chapter 6: Warrior Boot Camp

A/N  
Disclaimer: dialogue, characters, world everything in between belongs to Nick, Mike & Bryan.  
Still in the first episode, chronologically. Geez, there's so much stuff to cover!  
Some of the dialogue is taken from the episodes, but only a little was used wholly unedited.  
Chp. 5 review responses at the end of chapter.

* * *

Katara felt her stomach churn at Aang's stricken expression as his knees collapsed and he knelt on the ground. She quickened her pace towards him. _Something's wrong...is he ok?_

"Aang, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly as she made her way to his side.

Aang shut his eyes tightly and clenched his jaw, fighting the tears threatening to overflow from a bubbling well of anger and confusion. He forced himself to recognize a single, overriding drive emerging from his storm of emotions. _I need to find out what happened while I was gone...but how?_

"It's just...I need some time to deal with what you told me. I didn't know any of this until now, and...and if what you said is true..." Aang's voice strained and he took a deep breath as Katara crouched beside him to steady his shaking shoulders. He continued looking away from and futilely tried to conceal the haunted look in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry..." she whispered as she gripped his shoulders tighter. _I should've been more careful with what I told him_; _he's just a kid - probably younger than I am. _Katara blamed herself for causing Aang so much pain, and she didn't know what to do or say to comfort him.

"No, don't be sorry. It's not your fault." Aang finally ground out wearily. He continued kneeling on the ground as the droplets fell and his knees began to chafe against the abrasive ice. His tears froze as the hit the ground, forming a expanding puddle of sorrow. _I need to be strong...and I need to hurry. _He gently moved her hands off his shoulder and stood shakily back on his feet, leaning on her for support.

Katara remained silent, her bright blue eyes remaining downcast and her mind blank except for a vague sense of unease. She felt Aang teetering and she moved closer to him help him up, almost tasting his heartache as he gripped her tightly.

Aang took an audibly deep breath and straightened before breathing out. He raised his free arm and wiped his teary eyes before looking at Katara's with an almost imperceptible smile.

"Thanks."

Katara's mouth lifted slightly and Aang turned towards her before they embraced, their fears and worries melting away despite the frigid temperatures of the environment all around them.

Sokka was walking about trying to gather the errant toddler warriors of the village, but he froze when he saw Aang and Katara locked in an embrace. _Wha-What are they doing? _His mind raced through all the possibilities before he forced himself to acknowledge the most obvious one._ I knew it! _he muttered to himself. _But still, that was awfully quick...it must be the midnight sun madness. _Shaking his head to clear his wandering thoughts, he made his way to stand in front of the embracing duo, his face set in a determined scowl.

"Hey, what's going on here? Don't you have chores...and aren't you a little too young for this?" he said as he pointed at Katara and Aang in turn.

* * *

Zuko paced back and forth on his iron ship, the clanking of his boots on the metal deck echoing through the air, which remained almost unbearably cold despite the presence of the sun near its midday peak. _Why is Uncle still teaching me the basic forms? I'm almost of age, and I know I can do much more than this!_

However, Zuko's thoughts were for naught as his unwavering uncle insisted on drilling Zuko further.

"Again!" Iroh called out sternly from where he squatted on his low stool.

Zuko straightened his shoulders and turned to face the two firebenders training him, both of their faces concealed by intimidating full-face helmets.

But Zuko was not intimidated in the slightest as he returned to the training exercise. He made a probing opening attack before his opponents retaliated. Zuko dodged a series of blasts sent his way before leaping into the air to respond in turn with a pair of downward blasts with his feets and hands that they easily avoided. He landed lightly on his feet and turned to face them again.

His uncle made an exasperated sigh as he stood up.

"No!"

Zuko turned reluctantly to his uncle, whose eyebrows were once again arched in a seemingly perpetual frown. _Here we go again_, he thought as he suppressed his impatience.

Iroh stood up to face him and brought his hands together in a cupping motion as he moved them up his chest. "Power in firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles." he began. _I know you know, but when will you begin to use your knowledge? _Iroh thought sadly. He extended an arm towards Zuko to emphasize his point before he looked down and straightened his stance.

Zuko watched his Uncle's ministrations wordlessly while his impatience began to flare again with the thoughts swirling in his mind. _Everything always comes to me so slowly, _he thought angrily. _Finding the Avatar to earn my Honor, and now firebending too! _The prince remained still and kept his hands balled in fists as he waited for his Uncle to continue.

The old general held his palms against one another at his waist, the insides face up and fingertips barely touching. He took a deep breath and looked up to see his nephew staring at him in his typical apathetic manner, disinterest coloring his eyes and his lips pressed tightly together. Iroh ignored his expression and continued nevertheless.

"The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire!" He shifted his stance sideways and punched out one fist at shoulder level while pulling back the other, sending a small flash of fire towards Zuko that dissipated almost instantly in the cold air. _Well, that was a bit underwhelming. But I'm sure Zuko knows that I'm just being careful... _He continued to gaze sternly at Zuko. "Get it right this time." he added as an afterthought.

Zuko remained unimpressed by his Uncle's token display of firebending prowess, and his agitation began to show.

"Enough!" he said forcefully as he moved closer. He reflected on the day's activities and decided to push his Uncle further when the repetitive nature of his training dawned on him. " I've been drilling this sequence all day. Teach me the next set! I'm _more_than ready!" He continued staring down his uncle, willing him to meet his determined gaze.

His uncle continued to stand erect even as Zuko walked closer to him and tilted his head downwards, his tall figure towering over Iroh's relatively shorter one. Zuko balled his fists and waited expectantly.

Iroh did not back down.

"No." he responded equally forcefully. "You are impatient," he noted sternly before continuing. "And you have yet to master the basics." He calmly sat down, unwilling to give in his nephew's pressure .

Zuko remained unmoving and silent during the entire encounter as his Uncle's criticism blew over his head. _Argh...uncle is __**so **__stubborn! _He twisted around suddenly and sent a blast at one of his trainers, hoping to demonstrate his ability for his uncle to see for himself. The prince followed through with his blow and watched the man tumble halfway down the deck, overwhelmed by the ferocity of the attack.

Zuko turned back towards his uncle to present his case again in a different light. "The sages tell us that the Avatar is the last airbender." he said matter-of-factly as he approached his sitting uncle and leaned down to speak in a quieter but still forceful voice.

Iroh's forehead creased and he furrowed his eyebrows as he set his lips in a thin and scowled at his nephew's abrasiveness. He sat in a stony silence while Zuko continued to speak down at him, his obvious anger flashing across his face. "He must be over a hundred years old by now." Zuko continued, gauging his Uncle's reaction.

The old general matched his nephew's gaze and never left it despite blinking several times. He easily maintained his stern expression as an inescapable feeling of frustration washed over him. _This is his problem_, he thought warily. _He always becomes angry when he can least afford to do so. _His eyes narrowed as his nephew continued his diatribe unimpeded.

Zuko paused while his sitting Uncle tilted his head slightly and turned his gaze upwards to look him in the eyes, his face remaining unchanged in its unyielding demeanor. "He's had a century to master the four elements! I'll need more than basic firebending to defeat him." Zuko paused at his Uncle's unwavering silence. _Well, if logic didn't work, maybe this will..._

Iroh continued to contemplate the sudden hostility of his nephew even as the former bore down on him, his infuriated face turned away from the sun and framed by shadows.. _How can I help Zuko when he always ends up- _His train of thought was derailed when Zuko suddenly began yelling at him.

"Hey! Are you even listening!? You _will _teach me the advanced set!" Zuko growled angrily and brought up a clenched fist for emphasis. _How do I get through this man's thick skull? _he thought as he made an impatient noise.

Iroh gritted his teeth before sighing. Long ago, he had figured out that the easiest way to get some much-needed peace was to temporarily cave to his nephew. Stubborn as he was in resisting Zuko's demands, he knew was an obvious target for his nephew's frustrations. _We'll talk about this later, _he thought grimly. _Anyways, let's see if this works. _Iroh looked up and spoke in his best imitation of a serious and reluctant voice.

"Very well." he conceded before grinning widely.

Zuko was visibly grateful before he was taken aback by his Uncle's sudden change in attitude. _What? _he wondered as his previously stern uncle turned jovial.  
"Wait, wha-"

However, his uncle didn't allow him to raise any more demands. "But first I need to finish my roast duck." He reached under his seat and took out a fragrant bowl of the gourmet meat and began to eat enthusiastically, much to the surprise and then revulsion of Zuko. _Mmm, this is much better than I imagined. _Iroh's stomach grumbled loudly as he continued to wolf down the food at a ravenous pace. _Some things never change, _he thought contentedly.

* * *

Aang looked up first with surprise written all over his face while Katara's gaze remained focused on the young airbender in front of her.

"Sokka, you're being paranoid again." Katara's voice remained steady despite her swirling emotions. She sighed softly and turned to Sokka. "Aang is really hurt right now, and I was just trying to make him feel better."

Sokka rolled his eyes and huffed. "Well, I can see _that._" he said, but then his tone turned serious as he forgot his previous assumptions. "It's just hard to see you like this. You're usually so happy and...full of hope. And now you seem so sad."

Aang's blank demeanor turned somber. "Sokka, it's my fault. I shouldn't have fallen apart and cried like I did." He let go of Katara before looking down and continuing in a soft voice. "I'm sorry for hurting your sister." _Why did I have to share my pain with her? _he thought glumly. _She shouldn't have to do this for me...she's already helped me so much._

Katara shook her head when she heard Aang's apology. "Aang, you didn't hurt me - I'm the one who hurt you."

"But-"

She continued over Aang's objection. "Sokka, I can take care of myself... and I'm strong enough to face reality." Katara felt her heart sink a bit as she recounted what she had told Aang. When the truth was presented like that, it was hard to avoid a feeling of despair from creeping into her throat.

The three of them stood silently in a small circle, the only audible sound the distant sigh of the wind.

Sokka spoke up quietly and broke the silence. "Well, I need to get back to training. I'll see you later."He turned around and walked off slowly the way he had come without looking back. Inside his mind, however, he was drowning in self-doubt. _I know I've been watching Katara really closely, but I really care about her! I wish she would understand that she's all that I have left and that I won't let anything happen to her! _Sokka sniffed as he walked to the outer wall of the village. _But she does have a point. I guess I've been in her face a bit much recently. _He sighed and rubbed his temple to clear his confusing thoughts as he reached his destination - the training ground for the tribe's warriors, now occupied by a group of adolescent boys entrenched behind a pair of low snow walls. Sokka cleared his throat as a snowball landed with a *_thud_* besides him.

"Young warriors, playtime is over! Get ready for _real _training!"

He maintained a fierce expression as he was greeted by a chorus of noisy complaints.

* * *

Katara stared at Sokka as he walked off without looking back, his unease betrayed by his imperceptibly stiff walking. _Oh no, did I hurt him too? _thought Katara sadly. A frown settled on her face and she shifted uncomfortably.

Aang watched Katara's reaction and he couldn't help but frown as well. _I wish I could cheer her up_, he thought absentmindedly. Suddenly, a single penguin appeared on the periphery of his vision. His frown dissolved and he jerked forward with a start. Before Katara realized what had excited Aang so much, she was stumbling after him as he dragged her by both her arms.

"Aang, what's going on?" Katara's voice was full of surprise.

"I found a _penguin_! Come on, we can't let it get away!" He let go of Katara and pointed to the waddling animal, a speck in the distance over a hill.

Katara's mind buzzed with a dozen questions, but she ignored them and followed Aang, pausing by her tent to pick up a bag of shark-bait. _We'll need this_, she thought with a small grin.

* * *

Sokka stood tall and proud before his assembled warriors, who sat respectfully some distance away in a semicircle around him.

"Now men, it's important that you show no fear when you face a firebender." Sokka examined his club proudly as he paused to allow the warriors to show their appropriate reactions.

The young boys stared blankly at Sokka, showing neither naked fear nor unshakable resolve.

Sokka ignored their reactions and continued his rhetoric. "In the Water Tribe, we fight to the last man standing! For without courage, how can we call ourselves men?" Despite his stirring speech, he knew it was all just for show, intended to take their minds off the day-to-day drudgery, and, more importantly, the sudden fear that sometimes punctuated the dullness. _I hope these boys don't take me too seriously...it'd be better if they just hid. But I need to teach them the warrior's way first._

"I gotta pee!" One of the boys raised his hand and frantically waved it side to side.

"Hey, listen-" Sokka said before stopping himself. He paused to collect his thoughts as a realization dawned on him. _Maybe I need to give them a little freedom to breathe...if I get in their faces all the time I'll only be pushing them away, like I did with Katara earlier. _Sokka made up his mind and gave in to the boy's expectant gaze. "Alright..." he trailed off as another thought occurred to him. "By the way, does anyone else need to go?"

If Sokka had been watching the children closer, he would've picked up their glazed-over expressions and lounging postures as a sign of boredom, and he would've realized that they would jump at their first chance to escape from the his lessons. As it was, however, he saw none of that, and he was unpleasantly surprised when all of his pupils raised their hands in unison and focused their impatience on him.

Sokka barely had time to shut his eyes before he face-palmed himself, the sting worse than usual in the chilly arctic breeze.

* * *

Now, the review reponses.

bs13: Thanks, it's good to know that my writing is working well.

Once a Blue Moon: Yep. And this is still before he finds out what happened to Gyatso.

RandomPow3r: I know right? I try to spread out his revelations so he doesn't accumulate too much emotional baggage.

Jokermask18: *bows respectfully* Thank you, good sir. :)


	7. Chapter 7: The Great Penguin Race

A/N.

Sadly, this will be the last update for at least a few days, as Dec 1 is the due date for some college apps. Hope you enjoy this...and maybe hazard a guess to where the story will take Aang next while you wait? ;) Of course, don't raise your hopes too much...not that I won't be able to satisfy them (hopefully). As always, reviews, suggestions, corrections, and/or recommendations are all welcomed and appreciated.

Oh, and far be it from me to forget the all-important disclaimer:

_Let it heretoforth be known, that on this day, Sunday, November 25th, I renounce for all time all implied and/or inferred ownership of the following properties, including but not limited to any and all dialogue, characters and situations in Avatar: The Last Airbender, whose proper ownership rightly belongs to Nick, Mike & Bryan, and any associated individuals and groups. May the Spirits of old and new be witness to this solemn oath. _

* * *

Aang and Katara slowed to a leisurely stroll when they reached the crest of the hill and found themselves face-to-face with an entire penguin colony.

_Whoa...look at all them! _Aang stared speechlessly at the multitudes dotting the hills as far as the eye could see.

"Wow, I've never seen so many penguins!" Aang exclaimed enthusiastically, his voice bursting with unrestrained wonder.

"Neither have I, and I've lived here my whole life!" Her casual reply unexpectedly sparked a feeling of nostalgia. _That's because I haven't gone out of the village ever since mom died, _she thought suddenly. She tried to hide her melancholy, but Aang had been watching her closely and he picked up on the subtle shift immediately.

"Katara, what's the matter? What's bothering you?" Despite his efforts, he had only succeeded in making Katara even more dejected. _Why is she sad? I wish I knew so I could help! _

Katara turned to face Aang and tried to force a smile, but the worried look on Aang's face was clear evidence of her failure. _Please, just look away, _she thought desperately. _There's been enough heartache for one day_.

"Aang, I'm fine...it's just a childhood memory. It was long ago." she turned away and tried her hardest to shrug it off, but Aang remained unconvinced, as her attempt to assuage his anxiety only prodded him to press her further instead. She sat down on the snow-covered slope and wrapped her arms around her knees to pull them closer as his gaze lingered on her.

"Please, tell me about it. I hate to see you like this." _And it's the least I can do for you after you helped me earlier. _Aang's eyes were shining with genuine concern as he stared at Katara's distressed expression. He took a seat besides Katara, and after a moment turned his gaze away from her to the pale, distant horizon.

Katara shifted uncomfortably but then acquiesced, hunching her shoulders slightly before continuing in a timid voice.

"Well, the last time I saw a penguin was from before my mom died." She sighed and hugged her knees tighter. "What happened to her was _my _fault." she said bitterly, shutting her eyes and rocking gently back and forth. She remained hunched over as she continued her explanation in an emotionless tone, while Aang stole quick glances at her before returning his gaze to the sky.

"During a Fire Nation attack, I found a man cornering my mom in our tent. She told me to run for help, but when I returned she was gone." Katara shuddered at her memory before continuing. "I later found out the Fire Nation was searching for our tribe's waterbender. There were no more attacks after my mom's disappearance."

Aang's eyes widened slightly and he turned towards Katara, who looked away to avert his gaze. _Wait, aren't you a waterbender? Was there another one? _

"Your mom was a waterbender?" he couldn't help but ask.

Katara clenched her jaw before looking Aang straight in the eyes.

"No, but I was." _I wonder what he thinks of me now that he knows the truth. _Katara watched Aang with bated breath before she turned away shamefully, unable to look at him any longer. He moved his mouth trying to form words, but his thoughts were in such disarray that he couldn't. _Argh, I wish I knew what to say! I'm being an idiot again! _After a moment Aang gave up and sat silently while she listlessly continued her story.

"My mom lied to protect me that day, and I never saw her again." Katara's voice trailed off into a shuddering breath as she finished. "It was all my fault!" Her face contorted in guilt and she buried it in her mittens as she shook silently.

Aang snapped out of his uncertainty when he came face-to-face with Katara's state of grief, immediately feeling a sense of deja vu at her turbulent emotions. _This is exactly what happened to me earlier_, he realized, _and I just had to go ahead and ask her all these questions - why didn't I recognize it and stop?_

Without hesitating, Aang gently took hold of Katara's hands and moved them slowly from her face, which was still contorted with grief. "I know you've probably heard this before, but please believe me when I say it's not your fault." _It really isn't! _he added mentally. He gazed earnestly at Katara, hoping to convey the strength of his conviction through his own eyes.

Katara froze when she felt her face exposed to the elements, and when she cracked open her eyelids she found Aang staring intently at her. For a moment, they both stayed still before Katara glanced down and wiped her tears away. She looked back up and was met by Aang's intense grey eyes, which were so unlike the blue ones she was accustomed to. The tumultuous emotions rolling through her mind were calmed by her sudden curiosity.

"You have grey eyes," Katara stammered. _Wait, what? Why did I just say that? _

Aang was unable to maintain his concentrated look as his mind whirled in the background. _What? That was the most random thing I've ever heard..._His confused expression turned into a small grin.

"What's so funny?" Katara frowned, surprised at his sudden shift. _What a weird boy, _she thought. _One moment he's all serious, and the next he's back to being a kid! _

"It's just that...what you said was so random!" he started. "It's not a bad thing, it's just..." He paused at Katara's wounded expression. _Oops_, he thought. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine. Thanks for making me feel better." Katara shrugged.

"You wait and see, I'm about to make you feel a lot better!" Aang grinned innocently, oblivious to the hidden implications of what he had just said. _Wait, why is Katara looking at me like that?_

Katara eyes widened and she gasped at Aang's comment, blushing slightly before she scolding herself. _I'm sure he didn't mean it like __**that!**__ Geez, now you're almost as bad as Sokka! _She blinked rapidly to clear her intrusive thoughts and turned to Aang, who had stood up and was motioning towards the squaking penguins.

"C'mon Katara, lets go ride the penguins!" he called out eagerly.

Katara couldn't avoid feeling cheered by Aang's infectious attitude as he began chasing the penguins around the slopes. _He sure knows how to have fun..._

Aang looped back around and followed a waddling penguin back to Katara. "How do I get them to come closer to me?" he asked before turning and crouching to speak to the penguin besides him. "Hey, come on little guy. Wanna go sledding?" Aang tried to jump onto the penguin, but he missed it and fell into the snow with a *_plop_*. _Dang, I thought I could make it. I was so close! Katara is probably making fun of me now. _

Katara watched the scene with her mouth twisted in a hint of a smirk, and when Aang flopped into the snow she couldn't keep a lid on her laughter.

"Hah hah, nice try. I'll show how it's _really _done...", she paused when an idea occurred to her, "...if you teach me waterbending." _He __**can **__teach me waterbending, right? _she wondered. _Gran-Gran said that all bending is related in a way. _

"You got a deal!" He gave her a thumbs up. "Just one thing though, I know that all bending is related, but I don't know one thing about waterbending. Only the Avatar would know waterbending _and _airbending_._" he paused, thinking about what Katara told him earlier. _She's the last waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe_, he remembered with a start. _There's nobody who can teach her here...but I bet there are waterbenders in the Northern Water tribe!_ _And maybe the Avatar was reborn there - we can go together! _Aang seized on his idea and decided to suggest it to Katara.

"What if you go to the Northern Water Tribe? Maybe they have waterbenders who could teach you! Plus, while you learn waterbending, I can look for the Avatar!"

Aang unfolded his palms encouragingly.

"Maybe, but it's on the other side of _the world!" _she said uncertainly. _That's a longway to go __**just**__ to learn waterbending, _she thought, cringing guiltily. "And what's this about the Avatar?"

"I think he, or_ she"_, Aang quickly added as he remembered Katara's earlier reaction, "might've been reborn in the Northern Water Tribe. And you're forgetting Appa. He can fly us together to the North Pole!"

_Us going together to the North Pole all by ourselves? Sokka is going to freak out if he hears about this, _Katara thought, panicking slightly."That's... I mean, I don't know. I've never left home before." _And at the rate things are going now, I probably never will,_she thought resignedly.

Aang could almost feel the indecision and doubt radiating off of Katara as he watched her squirm uncomfortably. _Well, that went well_, he thought sarcastically. He decided to change the mood and give Katara some space to think in peace. "Anyways," he said suddenly, catching Katara's surprised glance, "can you teach me how to catch one of these penguins?" Aang was relieved to see Katara relax before lighting up with a mischievous grin.

"Okay, listen closely my young pupil." Katara smiled coyly as she took out a piece of shark bait and examined it like she would a valuable scroll. "Catching penguins is an ancient and sacred art. Observe." She raised an eyebrow as she turned and suddenly tossed it to Aang.

The hunk of pungent flesh spun sluggishly through the air, particles of slime and gunk falling off it to the side as time itself seemed to slow down. Aang watched it fly inevitably towards him with growing apprehension. _Ugh, what is that? Is that supposed to be-?_His train of thought was interrupted when it reached him and he was forced to lunge to keep it away from the overeager penguins. Aang reflexively caught it between his hands and was mobbed by the flock of excited penguins before he could react.

Katara followed him at a distance, laughing at his reaction.

"Aang, just grab one by its fins and hold on tight!", she explained loudly as she used her hands to cup her mouth.

"I've got one Katara, but it's trying to walk off!" Aang's voice was lost in the squabble of the penguins, who then turned towards Katara when she produced another piece of shark bait.

"Here, watch me!" Katara skillfully dodged the jaws of the snapping penguins and hoisted herself onto one as it waddled by, knocking it flat on the ground. She nodded to Aang, who tried to knock his penguin flat on the ground but had more trouble doing so because of his shorter stature.

"Just...try using your airbending!" Katara suggested, laughing at the amusing scene but trying to save Aang from further embarrassment. _I wonder what he would think if he could see himself right now_, she thought as she giggled.

Aang let go of his penguin reluctantly and moved away a short distance before breathing deeply. "Let's hope this works_.", _he muttered to himself before crouching down and blowing out his breath in a focused jet. The penguin tumbled backwards head over heels like a rag doll halfway down the slope and into a snowbank. _I guess I overdid it a bit, huh? _Aang raced down the slope and jumped onto the penguin before it could stand up. _Finally, there we go...sorry penguin. I hope I'm not too heavy. _He scanned his periphery, looking for a telltale blue figure. _I wonder what Katara is doing...she probably got bored of laughing at me and left already, _he thought glumly. Aang steadied himself before looking up again to glance around quickly and sighed when he didn't see Katara. _Oh well, _he thought as he leaned back over his mount, _I guess she __**did **__teach me to catch a penguin. She's probably- _

"Aang, what are waiting for! Let's go sledding!" Katara's gleeful voice drew closer as she raced down the slope and picked up speed. Before he could react, she passed him and left him in a cloud of snow.

"You're on!" Aang's doubt dissolved and he breathed a sigh of relief before he nudged his penguin and followed after Katara.

"Last one down is a rotten sea prune!" Katara yelled over her shoulder.

"More like a frozen one!" Aang retorted before thinking _What's a sea prune? _He forgot his question as Katara sped away from him. _Hey, she got a head start! _He began to discreetly use his airbending to propel himself faster. He felt a little guilty at his actions but all thoughts of shame evaporated when Katara taunted him further.

"You're so slow! I thought you could fly!" Katara grinned before sticking out her tongue.

_You'll see me fly!_ Aang retorted mentally before looking over his shoulder and blowing out forcefully with a *_whoosh_*. _This __**is**__ a bit obvious, but Katara is so much better at this! And it's not like she's holding back! _he added when he slid through a harmless clump of snow Katara had bent up out of the slope.

Katara glanced back to see Aang beginning to gain on her, a determined look on his face as he blew out air behind him to give himself a boost. She turned back towards her front and frowned slightly._ He's going to catch up! _Her thoughts suddenly turned to surprise as the shadow of a penguin appeared as on the slope in front of her. _How..._

"Who's the slow one now?", Aang jeered atop his flying penguin. _I hope she isn't jealous...I am being a bit of a show-off. But she put me to it and it's so much fun! _he added defensively.

"Hey...not fair!" Katara's mind raced as she thought about her options. _Two can play at this game, _she thought with a smile tugging at her mouth. She bent a rudimentary ledge out of the slope and launched into the air, carried by her considerable momentum. "I'm going to win!" she called out to Aang as she saw his shocked expression.

_Hmm_, Aang considered as he fought to hide his surprise. _She's good...I wonder how I can catch up. She has more momentum than me and she can bend the snow! _Aang returned to his earlier strategy of blowing air behind him to propel himself faster as Katara continued to leapfrog from ledge to ledge before another strategy occurred to him. He carefully turned his body around on the penguin's back and began to swirl his hands in a circle, forming a continuous funnel of air that propelled him even faster.

Katara was forced to stop bending ledges out of the ice when she and Aang slid into a narrow, icy tunnel. _Oh no_, she thought, _he's catching up again! _She quickly bent up a clumsy attempt at an obstacle, but regretted it almost immediately. _What if he crashes into it...? Stupid! _She slowed down and watched apprehensively as Aang approached the surprise barrier.

Aang didn't see the obstacle at all even though it stuck out like a sore thumb against the smooth walls of the tunnel, as he was facing backwards while he continued to generate his funnel of air and trusted his penguin to guide itself.

_There's no way Katara can go as fast as-_Aang's thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly flew into the air while the penguin rammed into and partially demolished the block of ice. The penguin protested loudly while it crawled out and over the obstacle before sliding away quickly while its master was still incapacitated.

Aang shook his head to clear the feeling of vertigo and blew out the snow in his mouth. His vision swam as he groggily noticed Katara running towards him. _Grr...now __**that **__wasn't fair! _Aang grabbed a clump of snow in one hand as he continued to lay on the ground, a small smile playing on his lips while he waited for his chance to avenge his humiliation.

_Oh no...why am I so stupid! I should've known this was going to happen! _Katara's heart was racing as she made her way towards Aang, who was still sprawled motionless on the ground. "Aang! Aang, are you alright?"

"Ugh..." Aang groaned convincingly. _Come on..._"Come closer." he whispered.

Katara heard his heartfelt plea and knelt besides him as he slowly turned his head towards her. _I wish you knew how sorry I am, _she thought desperately.

"Are you hurt!?"

"No,", Aang said as he added a touch of airbending to keep his voice appropriately stern, "but I have something to tell you..." he added ominously. _This is going to be __**so **__good_, he thought happily as he focused all his efforts on presenting a suitably grim face.

Katara's initial relief at hearing that Aang wasn't physically hurt dissolved into an even greater unease she noticed Aang's understandably angry expression.

"What? Please, tell me." She whispered quietly in a pleading tone. _He probably hates me now...I was such a jerk to do that! _She groaned inwardly and slowly nodded, ready to face his imminent wrath. _How could I do this to him, when all he wanted to do was to help me? _Katara clenched her jaw to keep a straight composure and bit down on her tongue to keep herself from letting loose the flood of remorse that threatened to spill out. _I'll face this bravely, _she thought. _I'll get what's coming to me, and maybe...just maybe we can still be friends. _She blinked once to hold back the tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

"This..." Aang trailed off before suddenly rolling over with a snowball in his hand. "iswhatyougetforcheating!" he rushed before plastering her face with a slushy projectile. His frown vanished and he burst out laughing.

Katara was completely unprepared for Aang's prank and she gasped right as the snowball impacted her face, her mouth helping itself to a generous serving of the frozen surprise. "Mmmmphhh!" she objected. Aang waited expectantly for her response, not moving while a hint of a smirk played on his lips.

Katara finally cleared her mouth using both her hands and glared at him.  
"You're an incurable prankster!" She complained and crossed her arms, trying to fully display her indignation despite the relief loosening her chest.

"You're a good-for-nothing cheater!" Aang retorted, the smile not leaving his face.

Katara sighed. _Well, that was a lot of worrying for nothing_. "I guess we're even now." Her scowl disappeared and was replaced by a tentative smile. "But, I still won!"

"No you didn't, we haven't reached the bottom yet!" Aang declared. He pointed to the bottom of the tunnel and helped Katara to her feet, before sprinting down the tunnel followed closely on his heels by Katara.

"Hey, you got a head start!" Katara objected loudly. However, within a few moments she realized that she had an advantage. Her slightly longer legs gave her a slight but steady boost while running.

She had caught up to and was about to pass Aang when he noticed her out of the corner of his eye. He suddenly took a deep breath and spun around before blowing out forcefully once again, launching himself past the mouth of the tunnel and into the bright sunlight. "I win!" he exclaimed happily as Katara breathlessly caught up to him.

"I guess I'm a rotten sea prune then." Katara said grumpily, her dejected tone contrasting with the small smile on her face. She looked back into the tunnel at the evidence of their desperate race.

"Hey, what's that?" Aang focused his gaze on a distant metal object perched on a cluster of strange-looking icebergs. _I have never seen __**anything **__like that! And what is something like that doing at the South Pole?_

"What, a sea prune?" Katara said absentmindedly without turning around. _I wonder if he would like them? I don't know much about Air Nomad cuisine..._

"No, I mean that...thing over there." Aang gestured almost impatiently at the giant metal contraption.

Katara followed Aang's gaze and tensed slightly when she saw the familiar and intimidating shape of a Fire Nation warship, its sooty black hull clearly visible against the harsh glare of the icy tundra.

* * *

SecretAddition: Well..this chapter was posted the next day after the last one, but on the other hand I can't update for a while due to (school)work. Sorry :/

bendergurl123: Thanks! Its hard to keep track of the quality of my own work sometimes. :P

bs13: Thanks, it''s good to know that I'm doing well with Zuko!


	8. Chapter 8: The Shipwreck, Part 1

A/N: Chronologically, it's still the early afternoon of Aang's first day out of the iceberg. The story is moving as slow as a glacier. *oh wait*

Disclaimer: I dun' own A:TLA or any of its characters, dialogue, situations, etc, which all belong to their respective owners (Nickelodeon et Al). Neva' have, an' neva' will.

* * *

"That's a Fire Nation warship." Katara muttered darkly, feeling a slight chill despite her thick seal-fur parka.

Aang's pupils widened and he clasped his clammy hands together, noticing his lack of winter attire for the first time that day. He began to look at the distant shape in a new light and shivered in the cold air billowing all around him. _Better let her do the talking, _he decided. _I don't want her to get upset again. _

In the end, an "Oh." was all he could manage. His gaze shifted to Katara, her face hidden by the side of her fur lined hood, before quickly returning to the warship.

Katara could feel Aang's eyes on her but ignored them, contemplating a way to explain the shipwreck and break the sudden silence that had replaced their joy from the penguin race. She swallowed a sigh before turning to Aang. _Things sure do have a way of getting away from me. But, it was worth it...that was the most fun I've had in years. _

Her voice easily parted the thick silence between them as she began to speak. "It was part of the first raid on our tribe over 70 years ago. Until then, we had never seen anything like it."

Aang turned towards her and nodded cautiously for Katara to continue.

"Back then, there were still many waterbenders in our tribe, and we were able to defeat it, as you can see. We thought we had won a great victory that day, but that was before we realized that it was only part of the Fire Nation's strategy."

Katara paused and narrowed her eyes.

"It seems they were willing to sacrifice innumerable men and entire ships just to capture our waterbenders. It took us many years to realize this, and it was too late by the time we did." Katara finally released her pent-up sigh and locked her eyes back on the distant warship.

"What do you think they wanted with the waterbenders?" Aang joined Katara and settled his gaze once again on the distant warship.

"Nobody knows. But none of them ever came back." Katara said in a sad tone. "I'm the first that's been born in many years. That's why I have to hide my bending - if knowledge of my ability spread, it would be reason enough for them to return." _And the reason why I'll never be able to learn_, she thought dejectedly. _But it's the only way to keep them from coming back...and Mom deserves that much. _

"That's terrible." _All of it...what else happened while I was frozen? _Aang thought suddenly. _I need to have a closer look at it, _he realized. _There might be something I can find out about the war. _

"Hey, Katara?"

Katara turned towards him. "Hey." _What's he up to now? _she wondered.

"I...need to go take a closer look at it. I know how you feel about it, so I think you should stay here." _I don't want you to get hurt Katara, like you did before up on the slope. _Aang wanted to reveal his motivations for keeping her behind, but he didn't because he wasn't sure how she would react. _I hope you understand. _

"Why? I can handle it." Katara answered brusquely. _ I'm not a helpless little girl anymore! But... I guess he still feels bad about what happened earlier. _Katara pulled herself out of her thoughts and noticed Aang gazing sadly at her, his wide eyes brimming with empathy. _Oh bother..._

"Aang, you don't have to worry about hurting me. I'll be fine, I've been up close to it before." Katara watched anxiously to see how Aang would respond.

Aang nodded slowly and motioned towards the shipwreck.

"Ok. But we need to stick together." Aang eyed her carefully. _I hope she doesn't think that I'm trying to babysit her, but who knows what could happen out here? It's the only safe way! _

"Yes, we need to stick together!" Katara blurted out a bit forcefully._ I just want to keep an eye on him, that's all,_ she told herself._ And why wouldn't we stay together? _Katara shrugged nonchalantly. "It's better that way."

"Ok then...let's go."

Katara nodded stiffly, earning a raised eyebrow from Aang.

"Katara, why are you so...tense? Is something bothering you? If you don't want to-"

Aang's jumble of questions were broken when Katara cut in sharply.

"No! Lets just...go." _Ugh. _Katara turned away from Aang and stalked off towards the ship, forcing him to sprint to catch up to her. _It must be the midnight sun madness. A_ang sent quick, worried glances at her, but she ignored him and he remained silent.

Side by side, they trudged steadily towards the warship, the *_crunch_* of their footsteps into the ice-crusted tundra wasteland the only sound aside from the ever-present sigh of the bitterly cold arctic wind.

_I hope she isn't annoyed with me...maybe I asked too many questions? Or maybe she's always this way? I need to ask Sokka about her, he probably knows something that I don't. _Aang pushed his thoughts aside when they neared the shipwreck and stepped into its looming shadow.

Without pausing, Aang moved to climb a ledge adjacent to a open hatch on the hull of the ship. He looked over his shoulder to see Katara staring dumbly at him. _Now what? _

"Hey, Katara! What are you waiting for?" Aang's grumpy voice jolted Katara out of her swirling thoughts.

She looked up to see a scowl on his face. _What's Aang doing now? Wait, I didn't know you wanted to go in! _

"Um...I thought we were just going to _see _it. I don't think it's a good idea to go in." _Great, I sound like an idiot. Maybe I should explain why. _"There might be dangerous traps, and what if we get lost in it? It's already sort of late..." she added hurriedly.

_Wait, why __**wouldn't **__we go in? Grr, I didn't walk al this way for nothing...but I'm not leaving herself out here alone! What to do, what to do? _Aang shook his head and sighed.

"'Ok...what kind of traps? Maybe if we watch out for them we'll be okay." Aang tried to exude his confidence but gave up when Katara bit her lip nervously and furrowed her eyebrows.

_I don't want to hold him back...but I don't want to do something that Gran-Gran would disapprove of! And I don't want him to feel like he's __**forcing **__me to do this. But I've already hesitated and he probably feels guilty already! Why can't he understand that it's not his fault! _Katara twitched slightly and noticed Aang turning towards her out of the corner of her eye. _Oh great, he's starting to feel sorry for me again__! Argh!_

Katara laughed nervously when she thought of all the doubt and second-guessing that had accompanied their initially carefree trip to the ship before dissolving into a high-pitched squeak and clamming her mouth shut. She looked sent a petrified glance at Aang and moved her hands slightly to cover her reddening cheeks when she noticed his confused look.

Aang quickly turned around and began to whistle when he saw Katara in the embarrassed state she was in. _Maybe it's better if I just look away. She doesn't seem __**mad **__at me, just...nervous. I think she'll calm down if I give her some space. _Aang scootched away and rubbed his sandals against the rough ice, creating a gritty sound to distract himself.

Katara finally regained control of her treacherous mouth and took a deep breath. _It's sort of silly how we have reassure each other every step of the way. _Katara snorted. _And I need to keep a better lid on my thoughts..._

"Hey Aang, I'm better." She plastered a grin on her face. "I think I swallowed a..." she trailed off and her smile melted into a horrified expression on her face. _Why did I need to say that? I was just about to set things right! Argh, what's going on?! _She resisted the urge to facepalm herself. Her heart began to race even faster and her face reddened further, if such a feat was possible.

Aang watched Katara beginning to mouth words and he spoke up abruptly.

"Um, I'm sure they're disgusting. Anyways, let's go before you swallow any more." Aang smirked at Katara, who responded by rolling her eyes. _Geez, she could show a little thanks! She's been like this all day...I definitely need to talk to Sokka. He's her older brother, he would if something was up with his sister. _Aang smiled to himself, confident in his ability to solve the perplexing case and obtain a satisfactory answer. He would sit this out; As Gyatso always said, _good things come to those who wait_.

Katara tried to roll her eyes as best as she could even though, to be truthful, she was grateful for Aang's timely interruption. She didn't know what she would have done if the conversation had ended abruptly then and there, but she felt she might've done something irreparably strange and awkward. She sighed tiredly. _Let's just go and look at the ship...I'm tired of this back-and-forth nonsense. It's driving me crazy in a bad way. _

"Thanks." Katara tilted her head up to catch Aang's backwards gaze and smiled reassuringly.

"Sure thing." Aang said flippantly. He resisted the urge to smirk again at her attempt to deflect his curiosity. _If she thinks I'll be happy with __**that**__, she couldn't be more wrong. _Aang turned around before his glee could show and walked below the hatch, which now seemed a lot higher now that he was up close. He used his airbending to reach in and clambered in before squatting and holding out a hand for Katara.

Katara raised her arm and grasped Aang tightly by the hand, but before she had lifted even a foot off of the ground she slipped loose and landed softly on her feet. _Huh? _

"Um...let's try it again." Aang called from above. He laid down on the bottom of the hatch and extended his arm further towards Katara. However, their second attempt was met with an equal failure.

"Aang, it's my gloves. They're too slippery."

"Ok, how 'bout I carry you? I may not look it, but-

"No!-" _I'm not going to let him carry me! From what I've seen so far, he would never let me hear the end of it! _"I'll take off my gloves." Katara suggested. She tugged impatiently on one of her mittens before it came off suddenly. The motion sent her teetering off balance, and despite her best efforts to stay upright, the slippery ice sent her tumbling backwards. Before she could realize what had happened Aang was in her face and pulling her up by her shoulders.

"Katara, are you alright?"

Katara could practically taste the apprehension in his voice as she groggily blinked her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." _Why do things keep going wrong today? I was standing just fine a moment ago, and now I'm being helped up...is he laughing at me?_

Katara glared at Aang before softening her gaze. "Thanks," she said for the second time that day.

Aang could read the embarrassment written all over her face. "Sure thing." _This seems familiar. _Aang grinned and jerked away before Katara could say anything about it. He quickly leapt back into the hatch and resumed his prior position on the edge, holding out his hand for her below.

_He makes it seem so easy_. Katara felt a pang of jealousy before she reached out and clasped Aang's hand with her own. She stifled a gasp when she realized how cold his extremities were. _Geez, I didn't notice earlier, but how is he staying warm with just those robes? I need to ask him later. _

Aang, on the other hand, was feeling something completely different. _Wow...she's warm. I wonder how she does it? _He felt a slight tinge on his cheeks before he widened his eyes in shock at his own thoughts. _Wait, what? Of course she's warm, she's was wearing a fur mitten until a minute ago! Or she's used to the cold, or- _Aang's thoughts were pushed out of his mind when he suddenly noticed the amount of effort needed to pull Katara up to the hatch. He breathed deeply and used his airbending to give himself better leverage, slowly exhaling and lifting Katara until she was at eye level with him.

"Welcome aboard." He smiled cheekily, waving one hand towards the corridor behind him.

"Thanks." Katara smiled in return, playing along before she realized Aang was still holding her hand. She waited patiently for a moment before coughing expectantly at him.

"What's up?" Aang smiled innocently at her.

"Um...why are you still holding my hand?"

_Oops! I better say something quick! _"I was...worried you were cold. Your hand being out of your mitten and all that..." Aang trailed off awkwardly when he could feel that Katara's hand was clearly _warmer _than his. He fidgeted slightly and tried to sneakily release his grasp on her hand.

Katara also felt the temperature difference and it took all of her willpower not to snort, but she did allow herself a slight smirk. _Not so quick! I see what you're trying to do, airboy. _She bent her fingers slightly around his palm, preventing him from releasing her.

"Wha-what are you doing?" Aang stammered nervously, feeling his heart almost about to fly out of his chest. _I have a bad feeling about this...this is the same face she made when she was about to throw the shark bait at me! _Aang desperately tried again to untangle his fingers from Katara's but she only grasped them tighter. _Please, let go! _Aang glanced pleadingly at Katara, who after a moment finally allowed him to retract his now considerably warmer hand.

Aang backed up against the wall and stared at Katara apprehensively before speaking in a strained voice.

"Hey, what was _that _for?"

"Oh? I was just feeling how much _warmer _your hand is, that's all." _Ha! _

Aang hiccupped and turned his face away, trying to hide his obvious embarrassment. "Oh ok! That's great!" he said in an overly cheerful voice, matched by an equally convincing smile when Katara turned him around by the shoulder. _Now what?..._

"Aang." Katara's voice suddenly turned serious.

_Uh oh, here it comes! Why did she have to drag it out like that! She just got my hopes up! _  
"Yeah?" he blurted out.

"You and I, we've both had our fun with each other, and now we're even." _Or as even as can be...He's obviously better at this than I am. But I got the jump on him this time. _She smiled and crossed her arms expectantly.

Aang's face flashed with surprise before it settled into a blank canvas. _Oh, so__** that's**__ what this is about? Hm..._

Aang was a quick learner, and he had already mastered the art of appearing harmless while his mind plotted ever-grander schemes and pranks. _She knows what she did, but I can still pretend that I don't. I know it's not fair, but she did it on purpose! _He thought back to her previous comment about him being an 'incurable prankster'. _And, she's putting me up to it...I have a reputation to live up to now! _He gazed thoughtfully behind Katara into the bright sky before looking at her with a distraught and confused look written all over his face.

"I'm not so sure what you're talking about, but I'm glad it's behind us. Maybe you can explain it to me later?" He paused. "I'm just a simple Air Nomad monk, and I understand little of the customs of other nations." _Well that's not true, I've traveled all over the world, but she doesn't know that! _He bowed slightly to hide the smile threatening his careful performance.

Aang's expression turned to one of pure delight before continuing. "But now, we have a ship to explore! C'mon!"

"Ok, alright!" Katara replied cheerfully, masking the calculating looks she sent him as she followed him through the corridors. _Hmm, that was odd...and I don't know if he's really as clueless as he seems. But if he's serious about being a monk, then I guess I should give him the benefit of the doubt and let it go. I did push him a bit far today - and I just met him!_

Aang stopped at a room with a metal-framed wooden door, the first one that he found that was unlocked. Katara nearly collided into him at his sudden stop.

"Hey, why'd you stop? Did you find something?"

"This door is unlocked! I gotta look inside!" Aang strode in quickly and turned the corridor. Katara followed at a distance, looking all around her for anything suspicious when she heard a gasp.

"Aang! What happened?"

"You gotta check this out! I think it's some sort of-"

Katara's mind blanked out when she was met with row upon empty row of prison cells, inhabited only by the dust on their floors. Each and every cell door hung loosely on its hinges, groaning against the rust creeping around the joints. A multitude of coarse locks, still intact and gleaming despite their age and the dim light illuminating them, hung attached to each door.  
But the meaning of these observations was not immediately discernible, for the world had moved on since the room last had occupants, and its secrets were well hidden.

"So, this is what happened to the waterbenders." Katara choked back a harsh cry of anguish. "If only we knew before it was too late..." she leaned heavily on a prison cell, her energy drained by the revelation.

"Katara...they didn't kill them though. Maybe they're still alive, somewhere, somehow." Aang tried to remain hopeful despite the numbness settling into his chest. "You see, they still took them with them instead of...killing them when they abandoned this ship." Aang explained hopelessly.

"But...why?!" Katara's voice began in a whisper and morphed into a loud protest. "What could be so important about waterbenders that they would go after them? They've been fighting this war for a century, but they still haven't found the Avatar!"

Katara repeated herself softer. "They spent nearly a century wiping out our waterbenders, but they still haven't captured the Avatar! Now I'm the only one left!" She choked back an anguished sob as she grappled with her emotions. _Not that I wish that they did...but still! What could be so special about our waterbenders? Nothing makes any sense! _

Aang stood by her quietly, unable to comfort her. He was preoccupied by an unsettling possibility taking hold in his mind, and as he slowly pieced together the not-so-unrelated facts all around him, it began to gain credence. _Could it be...?_

Katara's voice became a low growl. "The Avatar...where is he?!" _I'm never going to stop hoping...no matter what. _

"She." _I hope I'm right about this..._

Katara froze and straightened from her bent-over posture to look warily at Aang.

"Katara...I'm sorry...but I think **_you're_** the Avatar." Aang whispered hoarsely.

* * *

Review responses:

BeadleJuice: yes, yes i did! Thanks for catching that, I fixed it now

JokerMask18: No hard feelings, any response at all is great. And it's great that you feel that way...I wonder what you'll think of think of this chapter? ;)

bs13: Thanks for understanding. I'll still try to update as much as possible despite the deadlines breathing down my neck...

bendergurl123: It can be tricky sometimes, but glad you approve!


	9. Chapter 9: The Shipwreck, Part 2

A/N: And the adventure continues with our heroes, who are still ship-wrecked.  
This is a long one. Edit: Read author's note at the end.

~~~~~

Shock. Disbelief. An inability to speak. A tightening sensation in the chest.

Katara had experienced a veritable roller-coaster ride of ups and downs in her mood before they had even reached the ship. She thought that she had reached her emotional limit for the day, but she was tested once again when Aang had blankly told her his thoughts. The memory of his statement bounced around within her mind, which was suddenly devoid of any other thoughts.

"Katara...I'm sorry...but I think **_you're_** the Avatar."

_No! What?! _She desperately grasped for any possible kernel of truth in what he said, to try to know for certain. When she couldn't find any she relaxed, allowing herself to breathe and finally look at Aang. Her doubts and fears melted away even quicker than they had settled. _Phew, I was worried for a second there. _Katara laughed blearily when she realized that she had actually considered being the Avatar for a second.

"Aang," she began, her confidence suddenly returning and her mind clearing, "I know how much you want to find the Avatar, and I understand-"

"Stop. Please, just hear me out." _I hate to do this, but she has to know what I think. I'm still not sure, but if I'm right, this could be important. _Aang paused. _Honestly, the possibility exists - everything that happened today can't be a coincidence! _

Katara felt the dreaded sensation wrapping its tendrils around her again. _This is just a misunderstanding, _she reassured herself. _It'll pass quickly...I know it will._ Katara recognized the telltale signs of denial she was exhibiting, but she didn't care as she was beyond sure that she was right. However, that didn't comfort her as her attention was now solely focused on Aang, who began to explain his rationale.

"I'm not completely sure. You never can without using the Avatar relics...and they're probably lost or destroyed now." Aang looked appraisingly at Katara.

"What are the Avatar relics?" Katara's curiosity emerged from within her cocoon of a mind.

"They are...objects that preceding Avatars used during their previous incarnation. From what the monks taught us, each new incarnation of the Avatar maintains an _affinity _for the object...sort of like a spiritual connection to each past life. But that doesn't matter any more, as they're probably all gone now."

Katara suppressed a groan at Aang's last statement. _That's too bad...it would've been neat to see them, even if I couldn't actually meet the real Avatar. _  
She jolted when she remembered Aang's hypothesis pressing on her mind.

"Wait, so why do you think _I'm _the Avatar?" _Or yourself, or someone else for that matter?_

"It's because of what you told me, and what I know of myself." Aang began mentally tallying his rationales for thinking that Katara was the Avatar.

"First of all, you said that you're the first waterbender to be born in the Southern Water Tribe in decades, if not half a century or more. That by itself is remarkable."

Katara continued to swirl in self-doubt. _I'm a pretty weak bender...Isn't the Avatar supposed to be a **strong **bender? _

"Second of all, I've been frozen for a hundred years, and when I wake up you're the first person I meet. I don't know how or why I was frozen - but it wasn't natural, and it wasn't a coincidence that I met you. That brings me to my third point."

Aang paused and allowed Katara to take in his words. She sent him a skeptical gaze before nodding for him to continue.

"I may not look it," _I must not really look it! _Aang grimaced and forced himself to continue despite Katara's increasingly doubtful expression, "but I'm an airbending master. That's what these tattoos mean. If all the Air Nomads are really..." Aang trailed off and took a deep breath, "...gone, then I'm the only Airbending Master left. And if you're the Avatar, that means I'm supposed to teach you."

Katara heard his words dully echoing in her mind. _That's good and all...but that still doesn't prove anything. For all we know, he could be the Avatar, and I could be meant to teach **him**. Wait, that doesn't make any sense - I'm hardly a waterbender at all, much less a master one! _

Katara paused thoughtfully to compose her confusing and contradictory thoughts before continuing.

"Aang, I see what you mean...but that doesn't prove anything." Katara paused before continuing apologetically, "Plus, I'm not that great of a bender."

**"**Katara, that's because there's nobody to teach you. Now I'm here to teach you, and you're pushing me away!" _Why do you think Isurvived a hundred years in the ice? This can't be a coincidence! _

"But isn't the Avatar supposed to be a powerful bender - the most powerful in the world?" Katara stared at Aang before venturing onto her own hypothesis.  
"What if _you're _the Avatar?" _Well, it was worth a shot, _Katara thought sarcastically at Aang's gaping expression.

"Um, I think I would know if I was the Avatar!" Aang cried indignantly. Despite his retort, he couldn't help but think back to his memories at the monastery. The _looks _of envy thatother kids gave him when he got his master airbending tattoos at the earliest recorded age ever, twelve. The indescribably _proud _way that Gyatso- Aang felt his heart swell with joy at the memory of Gyatso before it was replaced with a sudden feeling of loss. _Oh no..._Aang's face contorted in pain while Katara began to vent her frustration. _What happened to him? I left him..._

"You don't suppose that I feel the same way?! How do you think I feel when an airbender appears for the first time in a century and tells me that I'm the Avatar?! I just...Augh!" Katara's face contorted in anguish at the responsibility suddenly being hurled onto her when she noticed Aang was no longer listening to her.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" _What, he think he can just barge into my life and tell me I'm supposed to save the world? Who does he think- _Katara strode over and froze when she saw Aang's somber, distant expression.

Katara made a noise to begin speaking but Aang interrupted her.

"It's not your fault." Aang mumbled softly. "It's just a memory...of my people. It was a hundred years ago, but it seemed like yesterday. It _was _yesterday for me." _More like earlier this morning. _His stricken voiced trailed off silently as he looked at the sole source of light in the prison room, a dingy panel of glass serving as a wholly inadequate skylight.

Katara was swamped with a mix of relief and worry when she heard Aang. _He seemed so happy just an hour ago when we went penguin sledding...and now he's mourning the loss of his entire people! I wish I could help..._

Katara instinctively reached down and sat besides Aang, taking off her remaining mitten to hold his hands in hers. Aang tensed slightly at the comforting gesture but then relaxed and twisted his lips upwards slightly at a feeble attempt at a smile. They sat there for several minutes, Aang taking shuddering breaths as he tried to clear his worried about the fate of his people and Gyatso, and Katara questioning her own assumptions about her identity. She had always identified with her family and tribe, and only recently had she begun to consider the possibility of being a waterbender. Obviously, the thought of being the Avatar had not even flit its shadow across her mind.

She still remained unconvinced by Aang's arguments, but she couldn't dismiss them completely either. The most perplexing fact was his century-long hibernation in the iceberg, which Katara knew must've involved spirits. The supernatural halo of light and his glowing eyes and tattoos were clear enough evidence of that. Sokka and her could feel the raw _power _humming in the air when he emerged from the iceberg. However, nobody besides Sokka even know how the Airbender had been found, and the idea of _him_ being an expert on spirit world machinations was laughable.

_But it's not like we ask the spirits about what they did or why! _Katara sighed exasperatedly and furrowed her brow.

Aang was mired in his own thoughts about what he had said. _I **know **this can't be a coincidence...but Katara is right. Even though I think she's the Avatar, I can't be sure. Maybe we're meant to find the Avatar together? _Aang stole an appraising gaze at Katara before shaking his head. _At the very least, there's no point guessing. Let's just finish exploring this ship. _He suddenly realized how smooth the hands in his palms were when he unconsciously gripped them tighter. He slowly let go of her hands before he could embarrass himself further, earning a questioning look from her.

"Thanks. I'm sorry for surprising you like that...I'm just confused about everything." Aang tried to lighten the mood at Katara's somber expression.  
"I guess I didn't thaw out completely from being frozen...thanks for helping me out." he joked weakly, massaging his hands for emphasis. _Wow, that was a terrible joke. _

"It's ok." Katara allowed a small smile. "I'm sorry for pushing back as hard as I did...I guess we're both confused." She thought back to her suggestion about _Aang _being the Avatar and suppressed the urge to laugh. "Also...I know what I said about you being the Avatar doesn't make any sense. I mean, _you _being the Avatar?" _Seriously Katara? _Katara smiled endearingly at Aang and was relieved to see his expression relax.

"Nah, I didn't believe it for a second. Unlike _someone _over here." Aang grinned.

"Ah, well..." Katara trailed off weakly as she tried to cross her arms in mock indignation.

Aang's smile widened even further and he locked eyes with Katara before they began to laugh uncontrollably, their voices echoing throughout the tight metal corridors of the ship. After a moment Katara sniffed and tensed when she looked up to see Aang gazing happily at her, a dazed expression in his eyes. _Why is he looking at me like that? It's just like before...he must be tired. _Katara relaxed and began to think of pranks to wake him up if he actually fell asleep right next to her.

However, Katara's unconcealed glee prodded him out of his daydream. _Hey!...what's she up to now? _With a start, he stared at a spot behind her before returning his gaze. _How long was I like that? And why did she look like she was about to...ah, nevermind. _Aang smiled calculatingly and was relieved to see Katara return the gesture. He spoke up suddenly before Katara could finish whatever thoughts she was having and refocused his eyes on hers.

"Hey, let's finish exploring this ship before Sokka gets worried." _He shouldn't be, although I guess we should've talked to him before we left. We'll be back soon anyways...I'm going to freeze for another hundred years if I stay out here much longer._

_Wait...oh no! Sokka! He must be so worried...we've been gone for hours! _Katara bit down on her lip and nodded quickly at Aang. "Alright...let's hurry though."

Aang stood up gracefully and tilted his head, as if asking whether Katara needed his help. When he realized she hadn't noticed, he shrugged and crossed his arms while waiting for her to get up by herself. _Fine, be that way._ A frown settled on his face before he caught himself. _Well, I'm not her babysitter, so do I care? Hmph. _

Katara got up and noticed Aang staring at her once again, his face flashing with worry before being replaced with a stoic detachment. _What's the matter with him? Seriously, these mood swings...and I don't need his help to get up. _A frustrated groan escaped from her lips and Aang appeared at her side, once again ready to support her through any physical ailment.

"Katara, what's the matter? Are you..." Aang trailed off when he realized he didn't have even an inkling of what might be wrong with Katara. _Great, this again. **Oops, **_he thought sarcastically to himself.

"Nothing," she tersely bit out. _I didn't mean to be so rude, it's just...how is Aang still so calm with so much stuff to think about!? It must be because he's a monk or something. I need to ask him about that sometime...and also about how he stays warm in those robes! _

"I'm fine, let's go explore the ship." Katara absentmindedly put her mittens back on while Aang concealed his rekindled interest in the strange Water Tribe girl next to him. _I almost forgot, but I definitely need to talk to Sokka later - she hasn't let up all day!_

Together, they left the prison room the way they had entered it. The cold, desolate corridors were once again filled with the *_clank_* of their shoes on the metal floor. Away from the stern of the ship, they finally emerged onto the deck and came face-to-face with the unrelenting arctic wind. Unbeknownst to them, the doors behind them snapped shut with a *_click_* that was lost in the howling air billowing all about them and disappeared into the featureless deck worn smooth by decades of erosion.

"Geez, I never thought it could get colder, but I guess I was wrong." _I should've gotten some more clothes before I left the village! Brrr! _

Katara grimaced and nodded weakly. "Let's go back inside..." She kept her footing steady and turned around slowly, but gasped when she couldn't find the door.  
"Aang...the door behind us closed!" She crouched down and frantically clawed her mittens at the handle, but found no purchase with her thick mittens.

"Katara, there's no time! I can't airbend it open either, the wind's blowing too strong that way!" Aang gestured exasperatedly back towards the stern of the ship.

"Maybe we should go - we've already explored this enough!" _This would be the perfect time to go, actually. _

_We can't leave yet! _Aang thought determinedly. "I'll try to open that door over there!" Aang pointed at a dull, splotchy door nestled at the base of the ship's central tower. Katara followed his gaze and shrugged.

"Give it a try, but if you can't let's go before we get blown over by the wind!"

Aang nodded and wordlessly redirected the gale-force winds into a battering ram. With a barely perceptible cry, he released it and watched apprehensively as it barreled towards the door. His worry was misplaced, however, as the moment the leading edge of the column of air reached the door, the frame and door were blown out of the building and disappeared into the cavernous darkness behind.

"Let's go!" Aang's cry was lost in the wind, but Katara understood him perfectly well. She strode stiffly across the deck, determined to keep her footing despite the sheer force threatening to send her tumbling forward.

Aang appeared next to her and began swirling his hands in front of him, creating a pocket of calm air that allowed her to relax. She smiled gratefully and followed him closely, the silence between them surreal in the midst of the billowing wind.

Before long, the pair reached the gaping hole at the bottom of the tower and disappeared into its shadowy depths.

Edit: I cut out a good part of this chapter because I realized (hopefully I am right) that it was A) Out of character for both of them, B) a bit much considering that they have known each other for only mere hours, C) pointless because it both overdramatizes something relatively minor and doesn't add anything to the already winding plot, and D) because I felt like it improved the flow and pace of the story, and E) this chapter has the least views out of all of my chapters, which was a sign from the universe to stop rambling on like I am right now in my Author's Note on why I cut out a rambling section of this chapter.

Can you believe Aang and Katara are still stuck in the stoopid ship? How much longer will this drag on? Well, to let you know, they will definitely _leave _the ship in the next chapter, and the plot can finally move on. :) And no, I don't mean that they'll leave _that _ship.

Also, let me know if you like or don't like this angst-heavy type of writing. Maybe it gets old, or maybe you like seeing them in awkward situations? Either way, comments, criticisms and even flames are welcome.

Last and NOT LEAST, are the review responses

The Melon Lord Approves: Yeah, and there's going to be plenty more of that! Hopefully I present it in a believable way.

Jokermask18: It sort of came up in response to Aang not knowing _his _identity, but you're mostly right - I only came up with it near the end of the penguin sledding chapter.

bs13: Sure thing, and thanks for loving my story!  
_If you could only love me as well, _the author sighed dejectedly. haha, jk.


	10. Ch 10: Escape From the Shipwreck of Doom

A/N: Edit: I changed this chapter a little bit (12/10/12)

* * *

Aang glanced at the lengthening shadows on the pale metal floor as they made their way deeper into the room and shivered in the increasingly cold air around him. "Alright...let's keep going. I know that-"

Katara interjected hurriedly. "No, that's fine. I agree." _We're almost done exploring, so we might as well finish it up._

For several minutes, they silently wound their way up through the tower, each of them checking the doors on their side of the hallway for any that might be open. Alas, there were none, and Aang was on the verge of giving up when he noticed a rather peculiar door on the top floor.

At the end of the musty hallway, an ornate door was painted over with a dull red 'X', the paint cracked in the cold, dry air.

"X marks the spot!" _Even though I don't **know **what I'm looking for, it has to mean something! _He glanced at the large, faded characters above the door._ 'Bridge_.' _Well, that was awfully convenient. _Aang didn't pause to ponder the disconcerting coincidence and walked eagerly towards the door while Katara trailed doubtfully behind him.

"Aang, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, it could be a trap for all we know." _What's so special about this room, anyways? _She squinted at the characters above the door before quickly realizing that she didn't even vaguely recognize them. _Oh well...that's just something else I have to learn someday._

"How about I go in by myself-"

"No, we're going in together. Just be careful."

"Alright."

Aang gingerly reached for the door handle and to his surprise it opened with a mere nudge, swinging easily on well-oiled hinges. _This is a bit odd, but maybe there's something important in this room._

Aang tip-toed across the floor, avoiding any obvious inconsistencies in the riveted panels that might've been hidden traps. Katara followed his lead, but she was not quite as nimble as he and she stepped on more than a few of the suspicious-looking spots on the floor. However, their attention was wholly misplaced. A trap had been sprung when the door opened, and many meters below them a spark rock jerked violently against a sliver of metal, sending a shower of sparks onto a long fuse winding through the bowels of the ship. The fuse culminated in a barrel of gooey jelly surrounded by many others like it, their contents kept dry by the dry air. The purpose of the entire setup would've been obvious to anyone who had a heartbeat and a working eye, but unfortunately for Aang and Katara their eyes were unable to penetrate through the layers of metal beneath them.

Aang looked wonderingly at all the mountain of objects inside the bridge. Despite his avowed Air Nomad detachment to physical objects, he couldn't help but be intrigued by all of it. An impressive array of buttons, springs, levers, wheels and other indescribable appendages were mounted on a sprawling semicircular panel that stretched halfway across the room. To his sides, a grid-like cubby labeled 'Maps' stretched into the shadows. He stretched his hand into one expectantly, but all he got was a handful of soot and the knob of a scroll.

"Aw, darn it! No fair!" Aang sighed dejectedly before he noticed a glint in the corner of the room. _I wonder what that is..._

"Aang, be careful-" _Geez, Aang seems so excited._

Aang reached down and tugged at the cloth covering the floor. Below the gaping hole in the flooring were hidden everything else in the room that had been impossible to burn or carry away. A collection of nearly-century old military paraphernalia, including odd pieces of armor, rusty weapons, and more than a few obnoxiously large boots, still smelly after nearly a century in the hole. Surprisingly, a bright red robe the color of fresh blood lay neatly folded in the corner.

Katara noticed the robe without registering the rest of the contents of the treasure trove. _Now **that's** something that's worth taking. _She snatched it despite Aang's protests and let it unfurl. _We're always short of good clothes...and making them out of seal fur is hard work! _Even though Katara had never _made _a set of clothes herself, she had seen the fruits of Gran-Gran's labors often enough that she knew that it was an arduous process.

"Well, that looks nice." Aang commented dryly at her admiring gaze. "You can have it...I guess." Aang had momentarily considered taking it, but at the sight of Katara's delighted expression he no longer cared. _Anyways, I can't be attached to physical objects - Gyatso said they are a temporary illusion._ He ignored the dull ache at the memory of Gyatso, but despite his own assurances, he felt a sudden urge to return to the village to check on his animal companion, Appa. He hadn't seen him since the morning, and he realized with a start that he had forgot all about him. _Appa - I'm coming for you!_

"Hey Katara, do you think we could go?" Aang motioned at the door leading to the balcony in front of the bridge, which was clearly visible through the empty holes where the tinted windows used to be.

_Wait, what? Not yet! _"Actually, if you don't mind I want to see if they're more-" Aang cut her off as he guided her towards the exit.

_Wait, why am I acting this way? Wasn't **I **the one who wanted to stay? _He paused thoughtfully but his unease only doubled.

"No, I don't know why, but I have a really strong feeling-" he trailed off when he _felt _the air in the decks below him suddenly in motion, swirling, rushing towards him-

"Trust me."

Katara didn't have time to even acknowledge what he had said before he wrapped a surprisingly strong arm around her and lunged towards the exit, his speed increased many-fold by his airbending despite his unwitting passenger. Katara suppressed a yell when she realized what he was about to do. _I have to trust him...is he crazy?!_

"Hold on tight!" he managed to bite out before jumping from the balcony towards the ground below. From her vantage point with her head over Aang's shoulder, she saw tendrils of smoke seeping out of the door behind them as the wind whistled past her ears, unable to scream for lack a of breath. _Wait, what's that-_

As Aang leaped towards the ground he twisted mid-air, allowing his airbending to create a swirling funnel of air beneath him before spinning further to allow it to build towards him. _C'mon...almost there..._

Both Katara and Aang could feel the sudden jolt as the ship exploded outwards, the thunderous sound of the explosion shaking the air violently, as if it were a frozen block of ice being shattered into infinite pieces. Luckily, Aang had nearly reached the ground and he was able to land them both safely on the frozen permafrost.

"Stay close to me." Katara nodded at his third, terse command, unable to respond at the sheer _suddenness _of the situation, at the absurdity of it all. _How is he so calm?_

Aang created a spinning bubble of air, and this time he made sure Katara was no more than a footfall or two away from him. Hunks of burning shrapnel were deflected quickly away as he and Katara walked steadily away from the charred wreckage of the shipwreck, steaming in the frosty air quickly seeping away its outburst of heat.

After a fair distance away he allowed his bubble to dissipate. Katara watched him appraisingly as a storm of questions pressed her mind. Nevertheless, they both remained silent as they trudged back over the ice, the familiar *_crunch_* of their feet on the ice not even denting the fog of their minds.

Aang was once again besides himself with guilt, his gait stiff with his obvious discomfort. _I shouldn't have pushed her to stay, I should've listened to her, I should've.._. He ignored his thoughts forced himself to keep walking, reasoning that he would be ready to face her once they reached the village safely.

After an indeterminate yet all too long stretch of silence, they finally crested the final hill before the village. Below them, they could see the specks of villagers already gathered in a tight knot. Aang tensed before Katara nudged him on reassuringly.

"It's alright Aang - I won't let anything happen to you."

Aang nodded silently without bothering to return her gesture, still unable to face her after their close call. He started down towards the village but he stopped in his tracks when he saw the top of Sokka's wolftail emerging from a snow drift.

"Where were you guys?" he demanded, his voice quiet despite the mixture of anger and confusion written all over his face.

* * *

_Where are they?! _Sokka continued to trudge around the hills looking for a track, _any _track at all, but he knew without a doubt that the relentless wind had had time enough to cover them well a dozen times over. As far as he knew, his sister and her _friend _had disappeared into thin air.

_Why didn't they at least tell me where they were going?! Is it** that **hard!?_

He clutched his increasingly inadequate parka closer to him, guarding against the wind threatening seeping into every nook and cranny. Desperately, he squinted at the horizon, but the snowy hills blended together into an impenetrable blank canvas. He sighed and turned his back on the wilderness to return to the village for supplies, mentally preparing himself for a fruitless search. _No! I can't think like that! _But the bitter truth, the impossible reality solidified with each step he took closer to the village-

***_BOOM_***

Sokka whirled about and ran back towards the top of the hill. He didn't need to however, as the plume of acrid black smoke was clear enough in the pale blue sky to be visible for dozens of miles around from any vantage point.

_Oh no...Katara!_

His surroundings seemed to disappear as he focused his vision on the spinning sphere of..._air _that emerged suddenly from the swirling dust cloud all around the ship. He watched the smoke spinning around it gradually dissipate and saw a figure in a pastel-blue parka emerge first. _Katara! _He sighed with relief...and then he saw another, shorter figure in bright yellow and orange robes appear behind her. His relief suddenly morphed into anger. _Aang?! You..._

He narrowed his eyes and stalked off towards them.

* * *

Zuko was startled from his daily monotony by a rumbling *_BOOM_*. He looked down back down at his ship, fear pushing past a dozen questions to the forefront of his thoughts before he noticed a not-so-distant plume of smoke out of the corner of his eye.

_What is that? I have to see!_

His uncle stood up from his low chair and walked over to Zuko, an understanding look in his eyes as he handed him a telescope.

"Thanks." _That was awfully convenient...how did he know- Ah, whatever. Uncle is just like that._

Iroh nodded wordlessly. _This cannot be a coincidence...something is about to happen. But I cannot put my finger on it. _Iroh kneaded the creased skin of forehead and stared off into the distance at the smoke.

Zuko adjusted his scope before he examined the terrain surrounding the explosion. A sudden movement on the edge of his view caught his attention and he swiveled towards it, catching a hint of bright colors against the grey smoke. _Is that the...it's the Avatar! _He jolted upright in shock. A thousand questions flashed through his mind before he realized what he had a chance to do - what he had been waiting for three years to do.

He returned to his scope and followed the direction of the retreating figures and rested his gaze on a small collection of tents on the edge of the sea. _Well, that's awfully convenient as well_. He smirked and started towards the bridge to redirect the helmsman.

_I'm coming...and there's nothing that can stop me now._

* * *

Aang stood there facing Sokka dumbly while Katara glanced back and forth between them worriedly.

In a silence that had become as to them familiar as breathing, the three of them stood in the whistling wind, each drowning in their own swirling stew of thoughts.

"I'm sorry." Aang started. He paused, letting the words sink in for emphasis. "It was all my fault."

Sokka's face flashed with annoyance before returning to an impassive mask. "And?" _That's it? You're not getting away with just an apology!_

"We went to explore the ship and there was a trap, but we escaped safely." _That about sums it up...doesn't it? _"Oh, and Katara told me to not go in, but I didn't listen to her, so it's my fault." _There, you happy? _Aang tilted his head downwards in shame.

Sokka grunted. _You're not making it any easier for yourself, buddy. Buddy?_ "Look...I hate to do this, but I _really_think you should go."

"_Go_?! No Sokka!-" Katara interjected angrily. "It was an accident, and he apologized! What more do you want?"

"All I want is for you and the rest of the village to be safe. I know it wasn't on purpose, and..." Sokka continued speaking as Katara began to interrupt him irritably, but Aang was no longer listening.

Within the confines of Aang's mind, the desperate urge to try to explain what had happened began to dissolve under the weight of his own undeniable guilt. _He's right._An unshakeable feeling had taken root within him - a need to get away from everything that had happened during the past few hours, from waking up in the iceberg and the seemingly endless conversations with Katara, to exploring the ship and fleeing from its burning wreckage. He wasn't physically tired - no, he he felt more energetic than he had in a long time, the recent test of his Airbending having sent adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Rather, he was weary - weary of always having to watch his back, to understand what pained him, before even being able to deal with it and to hide it from others. _I haven't even found out what happened to Gyatso and my people, and I'm already thinking about moving on! Forget the Avatar, the Fire Nation **and** the war! I need to see what happened! _He was mildly shocked at the anger suddenly flaring within him, but the ups and downs of the day had dulled his emotions to the point that he no longer cared. He numbly thought back to what he had been doing the whole time after arriving at the village. _I've been with Katara all day...she's nice and she helped me, but I need to get back to the Air Temple! I barely know these people, _he realized with a start. _Even if it has been a hundred years, there might be survivors in hiding! _A final thought occurred to him. _I don't belong here. They've been kind to me, but all I've done in return is to make trouble. I need to find my people._

Aang reemerged from his swirling thoughts with a newfound determination.

"I'll go. I just need to get Appa."

Sokka stopped mid-sentence and gaped at him dumbfoundedly, while Katara shook her head slowly, a pained expression written all over her face.

Aang looked away, unable to bear the feeling of hurting Katara yet _again_. _I wish I could, but I can't. Sorry. It's better this way...I wish I you understood._

"I can't stay...I need to go back." he said simply. He turned around and began trudging down the final slope towards the village. Sokka turned his head down and wordlessly trailed after him, his shoulders hunched and a grim expression on his face. The familiar silence returned with a deafening vengeance.

Katara felt the fear that had been tightly coiled within her during the argument with Sokka begin expanding once again. The memory of her afternoon spent with Aang, all of the moments and how _carefree _and _happy _she had felt, flashed by her eyes. _No! He can't be! I thought..._

"No, Aang-"

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this. It's not your fault." _It's all mine._

Katara barely felt any relief at Aang's reassurances and instead returned her glare to the back of Sokka's hood, following after him at a distance. She sighed and suppressed her instincts pushing her to try everything in her power to make Aang stay. _It's his decision...I guess. But Sokka pushed him to it! _She thought back to Aang's earlier reaction to being told he was the last airbender. _He must want to go back...but there's nothing left for him! Doesn't he know that?! _Katara wearily pushed her thoughts away when the trio finally reached the village.

Aang stood in a gap in the snow wall and faced the assembled villagers.

He placed his palms together and bowed slightly, his voice small in the chilly air.

"I thank you for your hospitality, but I must be on my way." _At least they'll be safe now. _He turned towards Katara, who was gesturing wildly as she argued passionately with her brother. Aang almost smiled before sighing dejectedly. _And so will she. _He turned away to find Appa when the ground began to shake violently. _What's going on? And where's Appa?_

Sokka felt the familiar yet foreboding vibration of cracking ice over Katara's incessant protests. _Geez, Katara can you tone it down a bit?_

He motioned for Katara to quiet down. "Shh! Something's happening!"

As to prove his point, the unmistakeable prow of a ship appeared behind Aang.

Katara paused briefly and looked skeptically towards the source of the vibrations, squinting her eyes to discern anything in the swirling cloud of snow...  
_Oh no..._"Aang! Get out of the way!" _This is bad..._

Aang glanced over his shoulders to see a familiar shape. "What?! I thought the ship blew up! How is it here?" he yelled desperately. _This doesn't make any sense! _He panicked and backpedaled before falling ungracefully into the snow, the hard ice underneath knocking him out momentarily.

Sokka rolled his eyes at Aang's antics before running towards him. _I have to get him out of there! _He crouched over him and roughly pulled him to his feet as he helped him away from the cracking ice. The hull of the ship continued to push relentlessly through the ice, sending a widening chasm towards the village that collapsed the impromptu tents and sent his crude watchtower tumbling into a cloud of snow._ Just_ _great, _he thought glumly at the discouraging sight. The other villagers backed away fearfully from the leading edge of the ship to the other end of what was left of their home.

Aang was jerked back to consciousness by the jitters wracking his body, his involuntarily chattering teeth nearly biting off his tongue. _That was close...get up! _Aang lurched forward with a start and stood up shakily on his feet, the vertigo blurring the world around him into a uniformly blank slate before settling back into a comprehensible picture.  
Finally, as the ship stopped advancing Sokka, Katara and Aang moved cautiously forward a few paces before the metal prow of the ship began to fall open towards the ground. The swirling cloud of snow and mist cleared to reveal three figures striding forth from within, their dark forms enveloped by fiery red uniforms as they emerged into the glaring arctic sun.

_Firebenders. _Sokka forgot his fear and confusion at the sight of the menacing soldiers. Sokka's eyesight turned red with depthless rage before cooling into a cold, determined resolve, and he clutched his war club tightly, preparing to rush forward to defend his village. _This is it. Goodbye sad world...Wait, I'm the only protection the village has - I can't die yet! But how? _Sokka peered appraisingly at the surrounding terrain. _Well, at least the kids aren't trying to 'show no fear'._

_Firebenders. _Katara's breath caught in her throat as she stared blankly at the slowly advancing firebenders. They had taken away her mother, and now they were back for her...or someone else. Her grief turned to fear as they came down the metal walkway, the familiar *_clank_* of their footsteps on the smooth surface carried swiftly through the cold air. _I'm not going down without a fight..._ Katara ran through her short inventory of waterbending forms and came up woefully short. _Well...maybe I'll ask Sokka what I should do._

___Firebenders. _Aang felt a mass of unbound anger twisting in his stomach, constricting and tightening his chest until the sole release would be a frenzy of rage. He had never felt such raw emotion in his life, but at the familiar sight of the red-clad figures he felt a sudden, sickening desire to harm those who had taken everything away and were now coming back to destroy more. _  
_

_But I can't. _Nonviolence had always been a way of life for him from the day he could first Airbend. He had sworn to never use his bending to take the life of another being, from the most insignificant ant to even the most violent criminal. _All __life is sacred. _The Air Nomads' detachment from the world was not the only aspect of their lives - it was only part of it, one half of a whole. Detachment was balanced by compassion, for detachment without compassion led to apathy, and compassion without detachment clouded the mind with emotion.

_But I can't let them, either. _He had seen the effects of the war firsthand - the raw fear choking him when he had fled the Air Temple that morning, the pain in Katara's eyes when she remembered her mother, his forlorn hope of ever finding Gyatso alive...

_I won't._

* * *

I decided to make an interesting, minor (I hope it is) change to the story. Katara and Sokka will be mostly illiterate. Let's face it, while they _may_ speak a common language with the rest of the world, the chance of them having the time to master the complexity of chinese characters while fighting to survive in an arctic wilderness without their parents and no trade to speak of during the middle of a war is pretty low. So now, Aang can _patiently_teach them Chinese. :)

bs13: Thanks for your approval! I hope my slight shift in the _cause _of the awkwardness doesn't make it any less appealing. I tried to make this chapter's angst make more sense...hope you still like it!

The Melon Lord Approves: Thanks, your constructive criticism was very helpful. I was worried myself since I realized half through my last chapter that some stuff was getting a bit repetitive. I definitely don't want to head off into that direction when the story is still so young. Hopefully this is a bit better. :D Edit: I decided to cut that part out...it's OOC and a bit much since they have literally known each other for HOURS at this point in the story.


	11. Chapter 11: Capture of the Avatar

New Chapter, and I don't own A:TLA.

* * *

Zuko didn't know what to expect when he ordered the prow to be lowered and he went below deck to disembark, but the last thing he thought he would see was the Avatar presenting himself to face him without even bothering to hide or ambush him. Before he could ponder the implications of that, however, he noticed that the Avatar was short - _short_, even for his old age of 112. As he was trying to make sense of this fact, the swirling mist that was billowing out of the ship suddenly parted and he tumbled back _hard_ into the hangar, the loud *_thump_* audible even from outside of the ship. _Well, what did I expect? It's the Avatar! _Zuko gritted his teeth before he sat up and stumbled back to his feet. _I better go wake up Uncle, he'll know what to do. _

"Hold the door, make sure nobody comes in!" The other two soldiers, still recovering from their shock of seeing Zuko tumbling through the air, nodded in unison and scrambled back into the hull before they met a likewise fate.

_That was too easy. _Aang stared dumbly at the retreating figures of the firebenders while Sokka hurled taunts after them.

"Yeah, run and never come back!" Sokka yelled loudly, but inside he was plagued by a similar worry as Aang. _They'll be back. _

Katara was surprised as well by the ease with which Aang sent the firebenders running, but it soon turned to admiration. _How does he bend air like that? I wish I could learn to bend water! _

Aang felt a hand on his shoulder and tensed.

"Aang, it's me." Sokka reassured him. "Good job." Sokka tried to sound unimpressed but to be truthful he was glad that they had a _real _bender on their side to fight the firebenders.

Aang nodded and relaxed slightly as he shifted into a defensive posture, but he suddenly noticed that he was missing his staff. "Hey, Sokka, can you get my staff? I might need it."

Sokka nodded and was about to do just that when he noticed Katara still gazing at Aang in awe. _Ok, now is not the time for this..._"Hey! Katara!"

Katara snapped out of her thoughts and glared at Sokka. "What now?"

"Go get Aang's staff! He said he needs it."

"No, you go get it! I'm staying here to fight." she stubbornly insisted.

"You...fighting? Are you serious? I'm your older brother and the warrior of the tribe, and I'm telling you to go get his staff! Do you want Gran-Gran to get it?"

Katara opened her mouth to protest, but closed it when she realized that _Sokka_, of all people, was right. _Ok Sokka, _she thought grouchily,_ you win, but you didn't have to rub it in my face like that! _Katara quickly returned with his staff in hand.

"Here you go." She held it out horizontally above the ground.

"Thanks."

Aang grabbed it with both his hands without looking away from the ship.

* * *

"Uncle! Uncle! Wake up!"

Iroh moaned groggily, but when he noticed the wet stain of drool on his robes he sat up with a start. _That's embarrassing...and what's that I heard? 'Uncle'? Is that Zuko? Wha-_

"Good, you're awake. I've found the Avatar!" Iroh looked up to Zuko's stern face hovering above him.

"That's great - did you capture him?" _Not likely, but it's worth a shot, _Iroh thought grumpily as he laid back into his snug cocoon, repressing the urge to yawn noisily. _I wonder if he'll ask me for help. That'll be a first. _Iroh cracked open an eye and looked at Zuko expectantly.

"No! And..." _Well, I'm here and there's no time to waste - _"I need your help."

"Is that so?" Iroh suppressed the urge to outright smirk at his Nephew._ Now you ask for my help._ "Very well," he said in his best grim voice with a matching scowl. _I wasn't expecting to be needed so soon...what happened out there to make Zuko so antsy, even more so than usual? _"I will prepare myself."

Zuko nodded thankfully and abruptly left the room to gather more men to help him. _Hopefully this will be enough...I can't fail, not now! _

Garbed in his faded General's uniform, Iroh slowly made his way to the top of the ship and looked over the metal railing and the swirling mist at the 'Avatar' below. His clairvoyant eyes identified the lead figure as a airbender... a master one, if judging by the tattoos on his head. _That's interesting. But of course, the Avatar has had a hundred years to master airbending...It'd be a travesty if he hadn't! Why is he so short? _Iroh leaned over closer to get a better look.

* * *

On the periphery of his vision, Aang noticed a bearded figure leaning over the side of the ship looking at him. _Who's that old man...and what is he doing here? Doesn't he know that- _

Iroh suddenly ducked when he saw a man in blue robes throw something at him...and stood back up when it passed over his head. _That was quite the long shot...I've never seen anyone throw th- _

His thoughts turned to panic when the boomerang hit him in the back, the dull *_thud_* of it on his armor tipping his balance forward and over the ledge, the hard metal ramp dozens of feet below suddenly growing closer...

Sokka held his breath as the old man began to tumble head over heels in slow motion down towards the ground. _What- how did I do that? _

Aang leapt forward at the sight of the falling man and produced a gust of wind to cushion his impact to a dull *_thunk_*. Instead of a fatal injury, the man was merely incapacitated, his head rolling to the side as his chest rose and fell.

* * *

_Uncle! _

Zuko watched in horror as his Uncle tipped over the side and began falling, frustrated at the thought that he was once again helpless at the moment he was needed the most.

He felt his impatience and annoyance melting away at the thought of actually losing his Uncle, the one person who had accompanied him for so long, through good times and bad - and he was caught off guard by the gust of wind that saved him. _What? Why would the Avatar save my Uncle?...It doesn't matter. I need to capture him before anything else happens. _

Zuko rushed out with his fists blazing at his sides, ready to parry any blow. He beat back a gust of wind with a hasty punch of his fists and leapt onto the icy ground.

"With me!" he bellowed over his shoulder. "Get my Uncle inside!"

His dozen or so gathered men roared their assent and fanned out behind him on the ice, forming a semicircle behind their leader.

Zuko stared ahead at the airbender opposite him and noticed the unexpected.  
_He's a kid...probably younger than me! Is __**this **__the Avatar? This doesn't make any sense! _Zuko could feel his confusion stirring and he clamped down on it before allowing his warrior mentality to take over. It _doesn't matter - I'll capture him; Either way he probably has some information on the Avatar. _

* * *

Aang narrowed his eyes at the firebenders fanning out behind their leader. _So I saved his Uncle...nice way of saying thanks. _He dodged an errant blast of fire and leveled his staff at the firebenders. _I didn't expect it to end like this, _he thought sadly. _It doesn't matter now. Either I'll beat them all - not likely! _he mused, _or else I'll die fighting. _He jumped over the racing edge of a wave of fire and began preparing his own blow, effortlessly using his agility to avoid the barrage of attacks raining down on him. _I need to get away from here, _he thought at the sight of his friends cowering, their lack of fighting ability having led to their defeat.

"Hey! Over here!" _Wait, I didn't need to say that...they're already paying full attention to me. _

Aang skirted around the crescent of firebenders on his airscooter and emerged on top of a large snow drift. He twirled his staff and funneled the snow into the midst of his opponents, showering them harmlessly with the wet precipitation until Zuko melted it all into steam with a jerk of his arms.

"Enough!" _He's barely fighting...what is he doing? Why doesn't he bend the ice?_

Aang involuntarily stopped at the sheer authority in Zuko's voice. _What am I doing? _He cleared his throat before yelling back down in response.

"No! You killed all my people! I'll fight until I die!" Aang leapt into the air and came crashing down onto the ice, generating a shockwave of air that seemed impressive until the firebenders jumped in unison over it. _Dang..._

Zuko took his chance to clarify himself. "We're not here to fight you, but to capture the Avatar." _Got that? Good! Actually, if __**you're **__the Avatar, we are here to fight you. But then that's not likely...you're just a kid! Where's the real Avatar? _

Aang's surprise was etched all over his face. _What? Is that what this is about? Still, they're firebenders! Why should I trust anything they say?! _

"Prove it!" _Wait, that doesn't make any sense. _

"Um..." Zuko trailed off awkwardly. _What? How am I supposed to prove that? _He turned desperately to his men but they shrugged. _Great. _

"Yep, that's what I thought!" _Although_, _what was I expecting?_ Aang crouched and twisted his body in preparation for another strike when a bolt of lightning arced over his head. _Whoa! _Aang lost his balance in his surprise at the suddenness of the strike and fell forward face down onto the hard ice.

Iroh panted heavily and leaned against a wall, suppressing a yawn. _This is taking too long...what is Zuko doing? It's just a kid, for Agni's sake! He needed my help with __**this**__? I want to go back to sleep. _He thought back to the involuntary slumber he had recently emerged from and rubbed his head, trying to clear the haze swirling around his conscious. _No, in a bed. And without my overly tight uniform! _Iroh saw Zuko relax and he stumbled a few feet before laying back down on the hard floor of the hangar. _But this will have to do. And I'll be close enough if Zuko needs to call me for help. _

* * *

Sokka watched the fight with bated breath. He, nor anyone else in his tribe for that matter, had never seen such a display of bending. _That kid's good...who would've thought! _In his mind, he weighed helping Aang fight versus protecting the other villagers. He thought back to what happened during the previous Fire Nation raid, six years ago. _Dad went to fight them in front of the village. That's what I should do...but -_ he jerked painfully at the memory of the loss he and his family had experienced, burned into his mind _- we lost Mom. Dad went to fight, and he couldn't protect Mom. If I go, then who's going to protect Katara, or anyone else? Aang's doing his part - _Sokka blinked and looked up to see the firebenders jumping lazily over Aang's latest ring of wind - _well, he's trying, and I need to do my part. _Sokka felt his resolve hardening before it was shattered by a flash of bright light. _Lightning! What?! Aang! _

"Aang!" _No! _

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Katara racing after him.

"Katara, stay back! I'll take-" _Oof. _A firebender stepped into his path and tackled him to the ground, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Sokka wheezed for air before speaking in a small, pained voice. "Hey! I'm trying to save my friend!" _Friend? Yes, friend! He is now. _Sokka spit out the snow in his mouth but he realized with a start that he was already pinned to the ground.

"Nice try kid, but I'm wearing fifty pounds of armor." The man sitting on top of him glanced down at Sokka, his features obscured by his face mask, and shifted his weight before settling into a more comfortable position. "You make a nice cushion...must be the fur." _And that reminds me, where can I get one of those? They are quite handsome, I'm sure my wife- _

"Argh!" Sokka screamed in frustration. _Great, a talkative guard. _

"Whoa kid, are you hurt? I didn't mean t-"

"No, get off my back so I can help my friend!" Sokka watched helplessly as the leader of the firebenders crouched down by Aang and held a flame dagger to his throat. _No...No! _Sokka felt his insides contorting in sheer desperation. _I just met him...NO! _

His captor noticed his prisoner squirming desperately below him.

"Hey, if you don't stop I'm going to knock you out!" _And take your nice parka, _he added mentally. "Prince Zuko isn't going to kill him, if that's what you're worried about." _Well, duh, of course, _he thought at the sight. He shivered involuntarily...the sight of the Prince holding a flame dagger to the airbending kid's throat was a chilling one to see.

Sokka stilled under the weight of the man. His insides felt like they were turning to jelly under the weight of the man above him.

"Aang, don't try to fight! Be careful!" _And wake up soon, _he added as an afterthought when he noticed 'Prince Zuko' trying to shake his friend awake for the third time.

* * *

Aang blearily cracked open his eyes to find a pair of fierce golden orbs boring into him. _Oh no...I'm done. _He shifted his gaze downwards to find a flame dagger at his throat. _I guess this is the end. _He slumped back onto the snow, preparing himself for the inevitable.

"Good, you're finally awake! I have some questions for you!" Zuko moved his dagger away after the airbender didn't try to resist. _About time, too! _

"I'm not answering any questions. Just make it quick." _At least he doesn't look like the patient type, luckily for me..._

"Make what quick?" Zuko looked around for the obvious meaning of his prisoner's words and didn't find any. He scowled and turned back to the boy. "What do you mean?"

_Great, he's playing dumb. 'Guess it won't be quick after all. _"Just be done with it." _Let's make it obvious. _"The killing." _This is actually kind of awkward...what is he waiting for? _

"Ugh," Zuko groaned exasperatingly. "I'm not killing you, I'm trying to ask you some questions."

_I'm still not answering my questions. Why am I even talking with him? His people killed my people! _"You killed my people!" Aang yelled suddenly. "I'm never answering your questions!" _Although, it might be worth it to lie if I can get away with it. Well, I'm not really good at lying, but still..._

"You don't get it. I've captured you. If you don't answer my questions..I'll find a way to get answers from you!" _Wait, that's not what I meant, _Zuko protested at the meaning of his words. _I sound like Azula! _"Not that I like doing that, but I'll still do it if I have too!" _That was...well, it's better than sounding like a psychopath. _

Aang considered his options. _I might as well hear what he has to say...I can still try to lie. _"Alright, you got me. What are your questions?" _Ask away..._

"Who is the Avatar, and where is he?" _If that wasn't obvious before..._Zuko resisted the urge to wave his hands in mock emphasis.

"Er..." _What? _Aang thought back to what he had told Katara...that he thought _she _was the Avatar. _I can't let them take her...it's the least I can do._"I don't know! But I do know there aren't any Avatars here!"

"Are _you _the Avatar?" Zuko narrowed his glare and peered appraisingly at his prisoner when he didn't respond. "Well?"

The airbender could barely control his surprise, but he paused before blurting out a response. _If I tell them __**I'm **__the Avatar, they'll take me for sure, and Katara will be safe. But then who will train her in Airbending and take her to the North Pole? If she's the Avatar, she'll need me...I can't give up that easily! I have to try to get out of this. There might be a chance he'll let me go if he doesn't think I'm interesting. _

"What?! "Me, the Avatar?! I'm twelve years old...can you count?!" Aang held up his fingers exasperatingly. _This should work. _

Zuko could feel his face reddening. _Oops, I guess he's right. He can't be more than twelve or thirteen...What was I thinking?! The Avatar is over a hundred years old! _  
"Ok, I get your point." He noticed the airbender rolling his eyes. "And stop being so obnoxious."

"Oh, sorry." Aang shifted uncomfortably on the ice. "Can I...go now? Since I'm not the Avatar, and-"

"No, I have more questions...but I'm going to have to take you aboard the ship." Zuko turned towards one of his men. "Get me some good rope!"

"I told you, I don't know anything about the Avatar!" Aang sighed dramatically. _If he doesn't let me go, I'll have to escape later. Better bring my glider then. _

"No, I've captured you and I'll give you more questions if I want to!" _Gah! This kid is so stubborn! _

"Like what?! What could be so important about me?!"

"Well, you're an airbender, and I want to know about the-" Zuko quickly caught himself before he gave away any more of his facts. He huffed angrily before continuing. "I could just knock you out if I wanted too, so are you going to cooperate or not?!" _I'd normally feel bad about knocking out a little kid, but this one is so infuriating! _

"Ok, fine. Come tie me up," Aang said, glancing at the man holding the rope behind Zuko. He kicked his staff over for Zuko to pick up. "Take my weapon too. It's very powerful," he said without a hint of sarcasm. _The glider part, not the staff part. _

"Jee, tie him up and walk him to the ship." Zuko got up from his crouch, the cracking of his knees a sharp sound in cold air. _Ouch! I should've just sat down... _He absentmindedly grabbed the staff, surprised at its light weight. _Is this hollow or something? No, that's ridiculous. _

"As you wish, Prince Zuko." _Well, this is a first...tying up little kids. I wonder what General Iroh would have to say? Hmph, and now we'll have even less rations...oh well, _he sighed as he tied the final knot.

Zuko began to stalk back to the ship, his hard boots making small indentations in the ice. "Men, back to the ship! Make sure to-"

"Hey, I'm the Avatar!"

Zuko turned around at the sound of a girl's voice.

* * *

Katara watched Sokka race off as she whiffed the smell of the burnt air from the lightning strike.

"I'm coming Aang!" _At least I don't smell burnt...flesh. That's a good sign, I guess. _

"Katara, stay back! I'll take-" Sokka's voice was cut off when he was knocked to the ground.

_Great job Sokka...what a warrior you are. I have to do something! _She made her way to sneak around the group of firebenders but a man with graying sideburns stepped into her path.

"Miss, for your own safety, I would-"

"No! My friend is in danger!" Katara weighed her dwindling options as she noticed a few other soldiers turning towards her voice. _Great, now what!? _She fidgeted uncomfortably and prepared to try to outrun the man in front of her, no matter how laughable the idea was.

"No, he's not in danger. The lightning didn't hit him, he just...was surprised and knocked himself out." _It's not like General Iroh was even aiming for him! But then, I would be scared to if someone shot lightning at me. _

"Oh, ok...but what are you doing here?" _There aren't any waterbenders...well, there's me, but I don't really count. And how would they know anyways? _

Lt. Jee cleared his throat before repeating his carefully rehearsed statement. "We're here to capture the Avatar." He paused before continuing in a gruff voice. "No harm will come to you or anybody else, so please go about your business as usual. We only have a few questions." _That was the...547th time I've said that. First time at the South Pole too. _

"So you're not here to capture...waterbenders?" Katara shuddered slightly and looked up fearfully at the intimidating soldier.

Lt. Jee grimaced at the thought of capturing waterbenders. _No, of course not! But then, there are the Southern Raiders...and that's why I left. One mission, and I couldn't take it any more! I'd be the captain of my __**own **__ship if I - well, that doesn't matter now. _

"No, of course not." He peered curiously at the girl anxiously leaning to get a glimpse of the unconscious airbender. "Although, I have just a question. Are you a...waterbender?" _I've never met one, but then I've never been to either of the poles! It's too darn cold, even for a firebender - especially for firebenders! _He noticed his other men beginning to approach him to hear their conversation. _This could get bad if they heard that she was one. But then, if she was she wouldn't tell me. Why did I ask that question again? I'm on a mission and I'm a soldier, not a tourist! _He nonchalantly waved his men away.

"I got this, go attend to Prince Zuko. And get back in formation!"

His men groaned disappointedly and moved away from him again. Jee noticed that the water tribe girl hadn't responded the entire time and had been shuffling nervously. _Could she be any more obvious? If I hadn't called my men away, they-_

Katara finally forced a laugh at the man's expectant expression. "No, of course not! There haven't been waterbenders for decades!" she said a bit too loudly. _And it's all your people's fault,_ she added mentally. _But this guy seems nice and I don't want to make him angry - Aang's still in danger, even if he won't be physically hurt! _

Lt. Jee ignored the obvious deception coloring the girl's voice. "Well, that's a shame." He noticed the girl's distraught look turn into a bitter one. _She thinks I'm being sarcastic, _he thought exasperatedly. "Miss, if it means anything to you, I don't like what they're doing either," his voice turning into a whisper. "When I saw what they were doing, I gave up my rank." He pointed to his graying sideburns. "But I'm loyal to my country," _Well, more like to General Iroh now, _thinking of all the conversations they had had over the years,"and there's nothing else I can do."

"Lt. Jee!" a cry floated over from one of his men. _What is it now? _

"Prince Zuko wants you to tie up the...airbending kid over there!"

_Wait, is he not the Avatar? What's going on?_ _And did he say kid? _Jee looked sideways at the man - _no, kid - _in blue robes still squashed under one of his men.

"Him?" Jee pointed incredulously at Sokka.

Sokka looked up with a frown. "I'd love to go with you, but do I look like an airbender?"

Jee sighed dejectedly. _I guess not..._ "I'll be right there!" He looked back to see Katara's stricken expression. _I didn't sign up for this! _He sighed heavily and tried his best to reassure the girl. "Miss, we're..." he paused to consider the possibilities, "just going to ask him some more questions about where the Avatar is. He'll be safe, sorry for..." _I can't take this anymore, _he thought as the girl's face turned into a mortified expression. He turned back towards the ship forcefully. "...taking him away like this." He bit down on his conscious and stalked off towards the soldier holding a bundle of rope for him. _Duty calls...and I must answer...Although I thought I could avoid this kind of stuff by joining General Iroh! _

Katara balled her fists at Jee's retreating figure. _I thought he was being genuine...but now he's going to tie Aang up! I bet he was just trying to get a reaction out of me! _She thought back to what Aang had told her about the Avatar. _He doesn't know anything about the Avatar...he's been frozen for a hundred years, how could he?! And now they're probably going to...do who knows what to get answers out of him! _Katara shuddered at the thought of the Fire Nation interrogating the young airbender. _I can't let them! - and he's the last airbender, and why would he- _Katara froze, horrified by the puzzle she had pieced together. _He does know who the Avatar is...he said so himself! _

_He said that I'm the Avatar! He's sacrificing himself for me! _She could feel her guilt already clawing at her, and she knew that if she didn't act now, it would soon turn into regret...and shame.

_One person has already sacrificed themselves for me. I can't let this happen to him too! Mom..._ Katara took a shuddering breath before clenching her jaw with newfound resolve. _I'm not repeating that mistake again. _

She thought fondly of her overprotective brother._ Sorry Sokka, but I have to do this...I know how hard you tried - but Aang deserves better than this._

She shakily recounted the way he had carried and sheltered her from the exploding shipwreck. _He saved my life...and now he's giving himself up to do it again. I __**can't **__let that happen. _

She warily approached the ring of firebenders guarding Aang, who shuffled halfheartedly behind the man she had met earlier. His sandals pattered almost noiselessly against the metal ramp as he was led away by his arms.

_This is it. _

Katara looked up at the bright blue sky, imprinting it forcefully on her eyes, and breathing in the pleasant sea-breeze wafting in from the ocean, trying to hold enough of it in her lungs for the rest of her life, and memorizing the soft, familiar *_crunch*_of the ice, trying to preserve a thousand other sensations and feelings before they were turned into memories forever.

_I'm ready. _

"Hey! I'm the Avatar!"

* * *

bs13: Thanks, your review gives me hope!  
Thanks for reading!

The author forcefully clamped down on the emptiness expanding within him at the lack of other reviews, fighting to prevent a feeling of hopelessness from consuming himself and his story. _I have to go on...without hope, there is nothing. Iroh would want me to. _He furrowed his brows tightly before opening a new 'Google Doc' and thinking desperately of a suitable title for the new chapter.


	12. Chapter 12: Who's Who?

And continuing...time-wise, we're still on the 2nd episode.  
Still don't own A:TLA.  
I'm not entitled to your reviews, but i still want 'em.

* * *

Aang warily eyed the man several paces ahead of him carrying his staff, weighing his options for escape. _I should wait until they move away from shore, _he realized,_ or else they'll just come back here _A shadow fell across his face as he moved to step into the ship's hangar when a distant voice floated over the wind.

"Hey! I'm the Avatar!"

_Katara! No! There's only one way out of this now..._

Aang suddenly turned towards Zuko. "Hey..." _Oops, I don't know his name...and I'm not calling him 'Prince' either! _"...um, Firebender!" Aang yelled at Zuko. "I'm the real Avatar!"

"What?!" _Are you serious? I don't have time to deal with this..._Zuko alternated his flabbergasted gaze between the flustered Airbender and the insistent Water Tribe peasant. _Maybe I should just take them both...it's getting late, and I don't want to stuck in the ice after dark. _

"Men, take them both!"

Katara slowly turned her head up at Aang and shook her head apologetically. _I'm sorry Aang - I thought I could help...Now look what I've done. All this, for nothing. _

Suddenly, Sokka jumped in front of her with a yell, blocking off the advancing Firebenders. "Stay back, I'm the Avatar!" _I won't fool them for long, but it'll be long enough. _"Katara, run!"

"No!-" Her voice diminished to a whisper, "-and what are you doing?!" _Sokka, you can't be serious! This is no time to-_

Sokka replied in an equally hushed voice. "I'm keeping my promise to Dad...by protecting you!"

"I'm not leaving you! Either you stay here, or else I'm going with you!"

"Sokka..._augh! _You don't have to do this - you can't!"

"Yes, I can and I will!"

Zuko watched the hushed exchange with impatience before speaking up forcefully.

"Hey - you two! Tell me who the real Avatar is!"

Katara's replied first. "I'm telling you, I'm the real Avatar! Take me and let Aang-" Just for clarity, she began pointing at the Airbender, who was staring wide-eyed at her.

Sokka moved to get back between Katara and Zuko as Aang interrupted her.

"No, no no! I'm telling you, I'm the real Avatar! You saw I could Airbend!" Aang cried desperately.

Zuko looked at Sokka expectantly, waiting for a similar argument. Instead, Sokka looked back at him with a thoughtful expression. "I'm thinking...can you get back to me later?" _Just take me with her, will you? I can't leave her alone on a Fire Nation ship! _

Zuko nodded tersely, his suspicions already confirmed. _So, the Water Tribe boy was just a distraction. Not that I was fooled at all... _"So you were lying! I knew it!"

The Water Tribe boy shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, so? If you're taking her because _she _says she's the Avatar, you have to take me to!" _Hopefully it won't come to that, but I can't leave Katara alone with that...guy. _He mentally cringed at the image. _No, Not like that! Although I can't rule out the possibility..._

"I'm not taking you just because you say you're the Avatar!" _And why would you want to be captured? You're crazy! _"All of you people are crazy!", he blurted out loud. _Not that I've met many of the Water Tribers, but both of the ones I __**have **__definitely are! _

One of his men piped up at that. "So what do we do now, Prince Zuko?"

"I'll have to figure out who's the real Avatar...if any of these fools are actually the Avatar, or if they know anything about the Avatar." _I thought the hardest part about capturing the Avatar would be the fighting, not figuring out who it was! _

"Bring the Airbender back down here...and don't untie him."

Aang shuffled back down the ramp and appeared at Katara's side, refusing to meet her gaze. They both knew that Aang thought _she _was the Avatar, even though he wouldn't admit it.

Zuko turned to the Water Tribe girl who had been silent for some time. "And you? What makes you think you're the Avatar?" He raised an expectant eyebrow and crossed his arms. Her angry blue eyes bored forcefully into his, and he felt an unease settling into his stomach. _It's just a Water Tribe peasant, what's the big deal? _

"I'm a waterbender!"

Zuko shrunk back visibly surprised but he soon recovered himself. _I thought all the waterbenders...well, that doesn't matter now. _

"Show me your waterbending. A simple move, perhaps. Nothing too dangerous." Zuko absentmindedly waved for his men to stand back. "I'll be fine, she's just a Water Tribe peasant."

Katara nodded, trying to reassure herself that her display of Waterbending would be enough to convince them to take her instead of Aang._ C'mon Katara...you can do it! Just this once. _She hesitantly swirled her hands above the ice, creating a shallow pool glistening against the bright ice around it. A small orb of water floated into the air, and Katara began to move it about with her arms when Zuko suddenly scattered it with a burst of fire from his extended fists.

"Enough! You're not the Avatar if that's the best you can do." _What was that?! _

* * *

Jee stood behind the rows of soldiers, watching the strange scene with a mixture of confusion and impatience. _They're just a bunch of kids...what could __**they **__know about the Avatar, much less be the Avatar themselves! I can't believe that Zuko seriously believes any one of them could actually be the Avatar! I need to wake General Iroh. _His thoughts were interrupted when the Water Tribe girl confirmed his previous suspicions. _Stupid! Now everyone knows! How could - Why would she do that?! _

The lieutenant cleared his throat roughly. "Prince Zuko, perhaps we should ask your Uncle for his opinion."

Zuko nodded and grunted his assent. "Good idea. Bring him out here if he's better from his fall."

Lt. Jee turned returned to the ramp as Zuko continued his interrogation with Katara.

"But..." Katara sputtered as her loss of words. _What was I thinking, anyways? That just because I can Waterbend, people will believe that I'm the Avatar? How am I supposed to convince others when I can't even convince myself? _"You can't take Aang! He can't be the Avatar! He's too young!" Her eyes shone with a desperation that made Zuko twist inwardly.

Zuko huffed impatiently as he turned back towards Aang, half to assess his other suspect and half to avoid the desperate gaze of the waterbender. _How am I supposed to figure out who's lying?! This is so frustrating! Why are they trying so hard to protect each other? _

Aang shook his head at Katara, trying to mouth reassurances to her, but she turned her pleading gaze to Zuko instead. _Katara's making this harder than it has to be! _Aang sighed before facing the Prince's expectant gaze. "No I'm not! I was frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years!" _I wonder if they'll believe me...they have to! I can't let them capture the real Avatar - it's the only hope! _

Without the presence of the Lieutenant, the soldiers began to shuffle impatiently. One of the soldiers standing behind Zuko muttered irritably and scrunched his nose at Aang's comment. "We'll all be frozen for a hundred years if we stay out here much longer!" The other soldiers shook with laughter before they noticed their Prince about to turn towards them, and hurriedly stifled their mirth before he could.

_Oh, ha ha. _Zuko stared incredulously at the Airbender. "No, I don't think you're the Avatar, if you were wondering. You're too young, and you're obviously lying." _You don't even make any sense! How can someone be frozen without dying for one day, much less a hundred years! Do I look that gullible to you?! _

"No, I'm telling you the truth!" Aang motioned at his head with his bound wrists. "These tattoos are given to the Avatar!" _Hopefully he doesn't know what they're really for...this Prince doesn't look like he pays much attention to those kinds of details. _

Katara interjected impatiently. "No, you're lying! You told me yourself that they're master airbending tattoos!" _When will he understand that I'm not letting him sacrifice himself for me? _

Zuko eyes had begun to glaze over during the argument. The entire situation, from the pair of benders arguing over which one of them was the Avatar and the Water tribe peasant who was looking at them with a confused expression not unlike his own to the flock of penguins waddling in the distance, was completely absurd. _I'll just have to see what Uncle says...if he's well enough to get up that is. _He glanced back into the cavernous hangar of his ship, searching for a familiar, portly figure.

* * *

Lieutenant Jee gently rocked Iroh back and forth on the hard metal floor of the loading dock. _How could my men just have left the General here? _He shook his head at the grimy surroundings and turned back to the sleeping firebender. _Maybe I should take him to his quarters to sleep? _He mentally groaned at the thought of lugging Iroh back to his quarters before chiding himself._ He did fall pretty far...what is it, three - no, almost four stories from the prow to the ramp? He's lucky, and I should be thankful._ _It's a wonder that- _

Iroh suddenly snorted and sat up with a start, fixing a single amber-colored eye blearily on the surprised lieutenant. "Oh - it's you." He nodded at the crouching soldier and yawned widely. "Is there something that I can help you with? My mind is very dizzy." Iroh grinned and rubbed his forehead for emphasis. _I hope I didn't get a concussion - how much more can my old skull take? _

Jee ignored the impulse to grin back at the General's endearing antics. _General Iroh, the forever-charming._ "Well," he quickly tilted his head at Zuko's distinctive figure, "Zuko was wondering if you could help him figure out who the Avatar was." _Actually, I hope you can convince him to stop fooling around with those kids. He's crazy if he thinks __**any **__of them are the Avatar! _

"Well...it's got to be the Airbender, obviously. Who else could it be?" _Maybe if he had paid more attention when I talked to him...he wouldn't be having this problem! He doesn't even listen when I'm telling him something important! _Almost instinctively, Iroh yawned again and relaxed back onto the cold metal floor. He looked up expectantly at Jee, whose brows were furrowed in concentration.

_Hm...when the General says it like __**that**__, it seems like it couldn't be more obvious...how could Zuko not know that - If I remember correctly, I even heard Iroh telling __**us **__about that! Even if he is a kid, the fact that he's an Airbender has got to mean something. _Jee returned Iroh's expectant gaze and felt an inward pang of pity. _An old man...having to deal with an idiot of a nephew like Zuko! What was Zuko - oh nevermind, let's just get out of here! We can't possibly embark when the ice refreezes at night. _He shuddered at the thought and relaxed his face a bit. "Thank you, General Iroh. I will tell Zuko what you said." He glanced at Iroh's stiff form and a thought occurred to him. "Do you need a blanket...or don't you want to return to your quarters?" _You shouldn't have to wait out here with your idiot nephew! _

Iroh shrugged and grunted his contentment. "No, I'll be alright Jee. Just tell Zuko what I said."

Jee nodded and stalked off towards the still-pacing Zuko. _He doesn't have to do that, _he thought at Zuko's impatient and erratic gestures. He sighed and made his way back down the ramp.

As Iroh watched Jee's retreating figure, he felt a passing sense of frustration at needing to remind his nephew that the Avatar was an _Airbender._ _How could he forget that? Ah, at least he found him. That counts for something. Once I get my rest and he returns to the ship, we can finally talk, without the need to capture the Avatar on his mind all the time. Maybe then, I can __**really **__talk to him and make him understand what I'm really trying to do. _He recounted their trips together throughout the world over the past two - _no, almost three _- years. _I've been dropping hints all along, but Zuko never picks up on them! _Iroh unconsciously grimaced. _And now it's almost too late...if he returns to the Fire Nation now, then - all this will have been for naught. Zuko deserves so much to return; he's tried so hard already! But he still doesn't understand me...and how I've changed since Lu Ten died. _Iroh sighed dejectedly at the thought of his long-dead son and drifted away into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Back on the ice, Zuko continued to eye the arguing benders skeptically, straining to maintain his calm demeanor despite his impatience. _I don't know what game these...__**kids**__ are playing, but I can't deal with it much longer! _

It was once again Aang's turn to speak. "I never said that!" His voice turned to a desperate pitch. "Don't listen to her, she's trying to distract you from the _real _Avatar - me!" _I wonder what he thinks of all of this. Although, if we don't get this sorted out soon, I wouldn't be surprised if he just takes us both. It's getting awfully cold out here. _

Katara huffed indignantly and responded in equal force. "Yes, you did! When we were on the shipwreck, you said that..." Katara trailed off as she struggled to remember the details of their earlier conversation. "...said that you were supposed to teach me airbending, since you're a master, and I'm the Avatar!" _Why are you doing this Aang? I'm not going to let you do this for me...you know how I feel! I told you what my Mom did for me! Why can't you just-_

"No, I told you that _I'm_ the Avatar and that _you're _supposed to train me in waterbending!" Aang pretended to be exasperated and groaned noisily for the effect. "But obviously, you can hardly bend, much less teach me Waterbending! You're crazy if you think you're the Avatar!" _Well, that's half true. But I hope she doesn't think I'm trying to insult her...even if I technically am. _

"You said that that was because I had nobody to train me - that doesn't prove that I'm not the Avatar!" She thought back to their conversation on the ship, where Aang had seemed so earnest. _I thought he meant what he said...no, I know he was serious! Why won't he accept the truth?_

"If the Avatar was reborn, I think the spirits would've chosen a place where it could actually _learn _waterbending!" _They __**can **__do that, right? I'd think so! _

"Maybe they thought learning airbending was more important! That's why I found you!"

"You can barely bend water, and you're Water Tribe! How can you be the Avatar!?"

"You're just a goofy kid!" Katara cringed inwardly at the wounded expression on Aang's face. _Well, you're actually incredibly thoughtful, but you're not giving me a choice right now! _

"So what if I'm a kid?"

The argument degenerated into a shouting match about maturity and Zuko began to tune out their competing voices, hoping to survive the onslaught until his Uncle arrived. The group of soldiers behind him watched the scene impassively, hiding their amused and curious thoughts. On the ship, there had been a dearth of any real entertainment besides music night, and there were only so many instruments anyways. Besides, they barely knew how to hold them the right way, much less actually play them. Seeing two kids argue about being the Avatar, although a bit ridiculous, certainly qualified as entertainment.

Jee noiselessly parted the crowd of onlookers to appear behind Zuko's back and cleared his throat noisily. "Your Uncle says its the Airbender." _Not that he hasn't already told you several dozen times..._

Zuko nodded, clearly exhausted by the unending spectacle, and he barely managed a hoarse whisper. "Alright...seize the Airbender...forget about those other two." His men snapped out of their stupor, suppressing disappointed groans, but more than willing to follow the orders given the increasingly frigid environment all around them. The sun had nearly vanished over the horizon, and the faint outline of the full moon had already begun to take its place. Zuko pivoted on his heels and lethargically stalked back up the ramp without throwing a backwards glance. Aang glanced pointedly at Katara, trying to impart a mixture of reassurance and apology into his gaze, but she continued to gaze downwards into the smooth ice below her. Before he could say anything to her, he stumbled as a soldier carelessly shoved him up the ramp, and he teetered awkwardly for a few moments as he tried to regain his balance.

Sokka had been silent the entire time, surprised by the passion of the dispute. _When did they have time to talk about all this? It's a long way to the shipwreck, and I didn't see Aang ride Appa - wait, where has Appa been the whole time? _Sokka swept a panoramic gaze at the surrounding hills and cliffs. _Well, he's white, and everything else is white...it's not like we could find him even if he was here. _He jolted when he heard the 'Prince' order Aang to be taken aboard the ship. He sighed with a mixture of relief and sadness before feeling a rising sense of guilt. _Maybe if we had Appa..._ His thoughts were interrupted when he stole a wayward glance at his sister. Besides him, Katara began to shake violently, a trail of shimmering tears streaming down her cheeks. Slowly, she got to her feet and the ice began to rumble. _Oh no...here it comes again. _Sokka stood up abruptly and raced to his sister's side, but she shrugged off his attempts at consoling her.

_If this is the last thing I ever do, it's still worth it. _Katara had heard an abundance of legends about the Moon and the Ocean from her grandmother, but all Water Tribers knew that the two were intricately interconnected - their peaks and troughs coincided. Katara glanced up to face the familar moon empowering her waterbending. _I may not know much Waterbending...but then I don't need to, not now. _There was no need to reflect on her thoughts any more, as she was clear on what she had to do to save Aang. She had already prepared herself when she had first stepped up to take his place by shouting that she was the Avatar. Her mind was as clear and as sharp as the radiant glow of the moon on the water on a cloudless night. The storming sea of emotions had long subsided to be replaced by a single-mindedly determined push...and pull.

A silent enemy is a deadly one. Katara noiselessly strained with all of her effort and made a twisting combination of a lunge and a jump, moving her hands in a rough underhand arc reminiscent of what she had done in front of Sokka earlier that morning. The ice supporting the ramp suddenly cracked in two to reveal a widening crevasse of black seawater before drifting completely apart when Katara repeated her motion. As the ramp began tilting down further the water rushed up the metal and into the ship.

Aang felt the rush of wind as the ramp fell into the water and he jerked his head backwards to catch a glimpse of the spreading havoc. _Katara...I've never seen such a powerful bender! _He realized that there was nothing stopping him from running back to her now that the ship was on the verge of being flooded. However, he paused as he was about to jump off into the ocean. _But if I escape __**now**__, they'll be back...and now that she's shown her bending power, they'll think she's the Avatar and they'll try to capture her! _He stared at Katara from the edge of the hangar. _I wish I could tell her that I'll be fine...but there's no way without making the firebenders suspicious. I can't let them know that I'm planning to escape. Sorry Katara. _He sent an apologetic glance at Katara who met his gaze, her eyes pleading with him to return. He shook his head sadly and stepped back from the edge, his eyes never breaking their gaze from hers.

Zuko had been about to clamber up the stairs to the bridge when he felt the ship began to tilt slightly towards the stern. _What -? _He leapt back onto the floor of the hangar when the ship suddenly lurched and saw the dark ocean swallowing up the ramp. His thoughts were cut off when a man roughly pushed him out of the way. _Hey! Oh, it's __**him**_.

Lt. Jee reacted with a soldier's instinct to the sight of the rising water and roared out a string of commands at the panicked soldiers. "Raise the ramp! Close it now!" He noticed the Airbender still staring dumbly out at the ocean. _Why doesn't he escape, even if he wants to be captured? None of this makes any sense...but then neither does this whole mission! _He snaked an arm around the airbender and shoved him at Zuko, ignoring the latter's protests. "Here's your precious prisoner - now let's get out of here!"

Zuko nodded wordlessly, still shocked at the turn of events, but he nevertheless took Aang and guided him up through the stairwell. _This can wait...We have to set sail before the ice refreezes! _He looked around for someone to take the airbender off his hands but didn't find anyone. _Guess I'll have to leave him here for a moment..._ Zuko hastily tied Aang to the wall with some rope and raced to the bridge to alert the helmsman.

* * *

From the bottom of the stairwell, Jee could not help but stare at the pair of blue eyes that _seemed _to _glow _against the backdrop of the darkening horizon. _It must be the waterbender that Zuko left behind...she seemed so powerless before! And are her eyes glowing..or is it just the moonlight? _Jee shifted back slightly before punching out his fists in quick succession, aiming well over the head of his target. _That should buy us enough time. _He had his own reasons for not aiming any lower, and he knew that nobody had noticed his intentional inaccuracy with the chaos going on all around him. _Maybe she __**is **__the Avatar, but it' s not my place to defeat her...and I doubt that I could now, even if I tried. This crazy chase of Zuko's will be the end of us all if it goes on much longer._ He waded through the waist deep water away from the open mouth of the hangar and was about to retreat up the stairwell when he froze at a terrified realization. _Where's General Iroh? _He stumbled clumsily towards the back of the hangar in search of the sleeping firebender.

In the corner of the hangar, Iroh finally awoke from his deep slumber to a deafening cacophony of rumbling and groaning as the ship struggled to backpedal from the edge of the ice. _What in the world is going on? _Iroh sat up and was relieved to feel that the unpleasant sensation of vertigo that had haunted him for the past hour had finally dissipated. His relief vanished, however, when he stood up and noticed the water racing towards him. _Oh no! What has Zuko done now? He should've known better than to stay moored to the ice so late...it must've refrozen and punctured the hull! _Iroh hastily stumbled towards the stairwell, but he stopped when he saw Lt. Jee gaping at him in shock.

Jee recovered his wits quickly. "General, we have to leave right now. There's no time to waste."

"Wha-?" _Already? What happened? _

Jee noticed Iroh's surprise and sighed. Obviously, the General had assumed the worst. "Everything's alright. The ramp just fell into the water, but we're closing it now."

"Oh- I thought the hull had been breached." _Fell into the water? Don't tell me Zuko forgot to raise the ramp before he left the shore! That was the first thing I taught him to remember when we got this ship! _

Jee laughed nervously. "Well, if we had stayed there any longer, it might've been. But luckily for us, _Zuko _ordered us to set sail in time." _Oh yes, the __**honorable**__ Prince Zuko __**saved **__our lives._He extended an arm to the portly man below him as the water in the hangar reached the bottom of the stairwell. "General, take my hand."

Iroh nodded and grasped Jee firmly by his forearm, allowing him to guide him over the rushing water and onto the first step.

"Uh-" Iroh fearfully blurted at the sight of the water following him up the stairwell.

"Don't worry sir, we definitely have enough lifeboats, thanks to you." _Not that it'll do us much good out here. There's barely enough food for a week's rations on them...and it's __**freezing **__out there. We'll eat all of it in a day or two just trying to stay warm. _

Iroh arched his eyebrows in surprise. "Is the ship really - you know, going to sink?" Iroh gestured for emphasis and fidgeted as the water began swirling around his boots. _My brother barely agreed to give us even an obsolete ship...I wonder what we'll do if we're stranded out here. _

Jee's expression suddenly turned grave. "Perhaps...there is no way to know. It depends on how soon we closed the ramp." He suddenly raised Iroh to his step, giving them both some breathing room as the water continued to rush into the stairwell. "General, you're the _real _captain of this ship -" _the best one I've ever served under, _he thought as he surprised even himself at his fondness for the old man," and it's your decision when to give the order to abandon ship." _Let's be real...this ship is doomed. It could barely sail when we last left port, and now it's full of water. All our coal is probably flooded by now. _

Iroh mouthed words, unable to speak for several moments. Finally, he managed to sputter out a disbelieving grunt. "What?!" _We'll be stranded out here for weeks...months, maybe even years! How am I going to let my brother know where I am? _He thought back to his previous interaction with his menacing sibling. _Even if he did know, the way things are going now, I'm not so sure he would bother to rescue us. _Iroh unconsciously shivered. _But if we have to for our own safely, I suppose there's no choice. We'll just be stuck out here, all alone...and there's no messenger hawks. We really are going to die, aren't we? Even if we get to the lifeboats, we'll __**all **__starve in a few days as we burn off all our energy to stay warm...and the firebenders would be the lucky ones. _Iroh was aghast at his own pessimism, and his gloom was clearly visible even in the faint light of a single oil lamp. _I can't believe it...I never got a chance to tell Zuko..._

Jee spoke up as a myriad of emotions flashed across the General's face. "Sir, It's been an honor serving with you." Jee wasn't normally sentimental, but in the current occasion he felt a pressing need to be so. He straightened his posture and brought his palms together in the customary Fire Nation salute as he began speaking in a uncustomarily soft voice. "This might be my only chance to say that..it's _truly _been an honor. More than you can imagine. You've treated us so generously, so kindly...all of the crew." He bend his knees and crouched on the cold metal stair-step. "Thank you, General Iroh. If I die today, I die happy." Jee thought back to their experiences during the past three years all over the world, the fun that he thought he could only experience as a young boy but had experienced again and again despite Zuko's perpetually sour mood and dangerous misadventures.

Iroh stared wordlessly at the top of Jee's head, unable to form even a single coherent thought as the icy, bone-chilling water rushed around them, washing away their hopes, their dreams, and eventually their lives...

* * *

bs13: You deserve an honorable mention for being the only person to post a review at all for the last two chapters. As usual, your comments are encouraging, and it's good to know I'm being consistent with the characters. Thank you!


	13. Chapter 13: A Sinking Ship

A/N: It's just after sunset on Aang's first day out of the iceberg.  
I don't own A:TLA, they belong to Nick Mike & Bryan.  
Please review (if you want to) - give me your opinions on my writing quality and/or style, characterizations, plot and so on, or anything else. Thanks.

* * *

The smooth, unblemished ice belied the chaos engulfing the sinking Fire Nation ship only a stone's throw away. A false sense of tranquility floated on the wind, the world silent apart from the subsiding cracking of the ice and the distant rumbling of the water rushing into the metal hull. Rising slowly into the cloudless sky, the moon seemed to gaze sadly at the pair of siblings standing so close, yet so far apart.

_Why? _A single thought parted the cloud of emotions swirling around Katara's mind. For an impossibly long moment Aang had stood on the edge of the sinking ship and stared at her as if considering whether to escape or not. Then he had made his choice, backing away into the cavernous hangar of the sinking ship, away from freedom, away from _her. _Knowing that he had done it for her made it all the harder to swallow.

A distant shout rang out, its strength amplified by the metal hull, and a pair of fireballs flew out of the dark ship towards her. Before she could react, her brother suddenly tackled her to the ground, concealing them both into a cloud of dusty snow as the surprisingly inaccurate missiles flew well over their heads.

Sokka's gaze followed the bright points of light as they disappeared into a distant snow drift, the steam of their dissipating heat barely visible from such a distance and the sound even lesser so.

* * *

Zuko emerged onto the deck of the ship and raced to the prow in time to see a pair of fireballs fly well over the heads of the figures below. _Why are my men shooting at them-? _He focused his gaze on the swirling water beneath the prow and noticed with a start that the ice that had been there only moments before had completely disappeared.

As the prow began to tilt slightly towards the water, Zuko realized rather belatedly that the ship was sinking. _Sinking. What?! _A thousand anxious thoughts flitted through his head, but a grim finality rose above the swirl of emotions. _This is it. This is how it ends. _For so long, he had run a fool's errand around the world, searching every single imaginable place that had even a sliver of a chance of harboring the Avatar. He had walked, ridden, and sailed tens of thousands of _li _through the vast expanses of ocean and land, never giving up on his quest. To everyone else, the endless search for the Avatar carried on by each successive generation of the Fire Nation royalty was a tradition. To Zuko, it was anything but. He was willing to do anything, _everything _in his power to find and capture the Avatar. An unimaginably powerful drive had consumed his every waking thought and his every action, pushing him to ever-greater heights of desperation for the sake of his goal: Honor.

Zuko saw his last three years flash before him. It wasn't the stunningly picturesque nocturnal Arctic landscape or the thrill of finally capturing the Airbender, the_ Avatar_ that prompted it. Rather, it was his realization that the blood, sweat and tears that he had so willingly shed on his quest to capture the Avatar would all be for naught. His ship was sinking, and he, his Uncle and all his men were going to die for sure in the frigid arctic ocean. The rows of lifeboats stored below deck were little solace. They had no way of getting anywhere or sending a message to anyone. All of their hawks were gone, and Zuko guiltily remembered that he had overridden his Uncle - a rare feat - in bypassing the final port stop on their way to the South Pole several weeks earlier.

* * *

_"Zuko, you know how far we are from the Fire Nation? Three weeks!" Iroh held up his hand and slowly unfurled his fingers for emphasis. __**This is the farthest we've ever ventured, and he won't take my advice?!**_

_Zuko groaned exasperatedly. "Why do we need to go to port? It's just going to turn into one of your famous shopping trips." Zuko switched into a conciliatory tone. "It's your money and you can spend it however you like, but your stuff is really starting to fill up the ship!"_

_Iroh shook his head. "We need messenger hawks. The nearest Fire Nation base is on Whale Tail island. Do you know where __**that **__is?" __**Not likely, **__he thought._

_"No, and it doesn't matter! We'll be at the South Pole for a week at the most and then we'll return! We don't need an extra diversion that'll cost us a couple days at the least!"_

_"I know we probably won't need them, but think of the crew! How will they feel going so far from home without being able to send for help if needed?!" __**Zuko doesn't have clue how they feel, **__Iroh thought sadly._

_"The crew doesn't matter! This is __**my **__ship and my mission! I'll go to the South Pole by myself if I have to! They can all go retire for all I care!" __**They probably all are old enough to anyways.**_

_Iroh was taken aback at Zuko's last outburst and conceded the point as he sighed dejectedly._

_Zuko ignored his Uncle's obvious disappointment and stalked off to the bridge, intent on setting a course for the South Pole._

_The truth of the matter was that most of the crew __**had**__ already retired when Zuko had first set out on his mission. When they had returned from their initial, fruitless search at the Western Air Temple, Iroh had managed to scrounge up a decrepit ship slated for the junkyard. His reputation was so great that despite the near-lunacy of the endeavor, enough men volunteered their services to constitute a skeleton crew. They hadn't even anticipated being paid (for the honor of serving __**with**__ the famous 'Dragon of the West' was so great), but Iroh, being the generous gentleman he was, couldn't help but reward them from the royal coffers, much to the chagrin of his brother._

* * *

Zuko took another step forward and leaned against the railing, holding onto it tightly to stay upright against the slope of the deck. Directly in front of and below him, the Water Tribe girl and her brother returned his gaze, and her intent suddenly became clear. _She's the one who collapsed the ice! _His hesitation vanished when he considered everything she had taken from him. _If I'm going to die out here..._He fixed his stare on Katara, whose expression seemed to be one of...bewilderment. _Does she even know what she's done?! She wasted my whole day and - _Zuko seethed quietly, unable to deny the situation any longer, - _now she's sinking my ship. She was tricking me earlier when she showed her bending! She __**is **__a powerful bender - _Zuko's breath caught in his throat at his rising suspicions - _what if __**she's **__the Avatar?! Could that be?_

All thoughts of caution fled his head as the futility of his efforts became apparent. A sudden urge to set things right, to make the Waterbender _pay _for doing this to him began to flare within him. Leaning over the side, Zuko briefly judged the distance to the frothing waters below, which were visible in the moonlit night. _It's far, but it doesn't matter. Once the ship sinks there's nothing left for me. I might as well make a difference...I'm not going to waste away slowly huddled on a lifeboat. I can't let her - whoever she is, get away with this. _A grim thought crossed his mind as he realized his final, possible fate. _If she's the Avatar...I have to capture her...or die trying. Maybe I'll finally regain some tiny shred of honor that I once had. _Zuko took a deep, shuddering breath, filling his Firebender's lungs with a great mouthful of frigid air that warmed as it expanded within him before taking a single step backwards and tensing his body in preparation for a dive.

Aang could barely contain his surprise when the 'Prince' rushed up the stairs away from him. _I guess I'm not that important...or he doesn't think I'm the Avatar anymore._ He experimentally wriggled his wrists and managed to expose a loop of rope for his teeth to tug at. For what seemed like an eternity, it was a struggle to clinch even that one length of rope before he finally caught in his mouth and pulled it loose. Aang paused to consider his next move. _I could escape now...but then they'd return for Katara. I need to get far enough away so that they won't know for sure where I'm going when I escape. That is, if the ship doesn't sink. Then I won't have anything to worry about. Where is the angry 'Prince' anyways? I thought he would come back for me. _

Aang looked down as a babble of voices floated from below, and a mixture of fear and relief washed over him while he continued to wait silently in the dark.

* * *

Iroh clenched his fists, trying to calm the frustration and anger clawing within him. _We're not dead. That's what matters. I need to find Zuko and alert the crew._

The old General set his lips in a tight line. "Jee...get up. We're not dead yet."

Jee got up cautiously and met Iroh's determined gaze. "I know General, it's just-"

Iroh gently cut him off. "I understand, but we have to hurry. You can tell me later…_if_ we abandon ship, I'm making sure we _all _get onto lifeboats safety."

Jee glanced inquisitively at the stairwell and Iroh nodded, motioning for him to lead the way through the darkness. While stumbling hurriedly around the corner, he looked back to ensure Iroh was following him and nearly tripped over a figure slumped on the floor.

_Wha-? _

Iroh heard the shuffling of Jee's feet turn panicked and quickly grabbed him by the shoulders before he could fall.

"What is it?"

"There's something" - _no, someone - _"on the floor. Bend some fire so I can see."

"It's me. The Avatar." Aang stated blankly. _Who are these people? They don't look like the threatening type. Hey! Is that the guy that fell earlier? _

Iroh gasped suddenly and jumped back, summoning a flame dagger in his hands. However, as soon as he saw that the _Avatar _was tied up, and more importantly, a young boy - _younger than Zuko, _he thought with a start - he reduced it to a small glimmer and turned towards Jee with a confused expression.

"The _Avatar?_" he sputtered.

"Uh, yes..but there's no time to explain. Let's bring him along and get topside." _Why does the General look so surprised? Isn't he the Avatar? _

Iroh nodded wordlessly and cautiously approached Aang, who met his narrowed gaze with a bewildered one. _He's just a kid...what has Zuko done? _"It's alright child," he started gently, "we won't harm you, but we need to take you with us before this area is flooded."

Aang nodded resignedly and tugged his arms away from the wall as far as they could go, exposing the ropes for Iroh to cut. With that, Aang trailed wordlessly behind Jee while Iroh continued to glance backwards for any sign of the rising water.

_The last people to get to safety are two old men and a child...what is the world coming too?_  
When the trio finally emerged on the the deck, Aang was handed off to a pair of guards and imprisoned in the bridge, as the prison hold was currently submerged. Aang offered no resistance as he was led away back into the familiar-looking tower. With a start, he realized the ship was an almost exact replica of the one he and Katara had explored a mere few hours ago, albeit in somewhat better shape - but not much. The memory of their excursion was still fresh in his mind. _Hopefully, escaping won't be as hard as I thought._

Iroh and Jee ran over to the side to check the waterline, gasping in relief when they realized that the ship still had a good amount of clearance. Iroh relaxed and sighed deeply, the warmth of his escaping breath creating a haze in the cold arctic air. _Well...there's still no time to waste._

"Lieutenant, make sure the helmsman knows what to do. You have the most experience navigating these waters." He paused as a thought occurred to him. "Did you see Zuko come up the stairs?"

Jee nodded before shrugging at Iroh's expectant gaze. "I don't know where he went." _Who knows? He doesn't have an assigned duty on the ship...perks of royalty, I guess._

"Ok, thank you Jee." Iroh glanced at the bridge, where a whole cast of shadowy figures raced back and forth frantically. Iroh returned a nod and Jee disappeared into the tower, the loud _*clank* _of his boots on the metal deck audible over the not-so-distant rumbling of the ocean.

After ensuring that the ship was acceptably safe, Iroh turned away to find his nephew. He didn't have to look far. Zuko's familiar form stood motionless at the very edge of the prow as the ship slowly backpedaled from the shore. He saw his nephew tense, almost as if he was about to jump. _No Zuko!_

"Zuko!" Iroh roared furiously as he raced towards him.

Katara tiredly rubbed the dusty snow from her eyes to be greeted by the scene of a sinking Fire Nation ship. Instantly, she knew that _she _was responsible - she had felt herself pushing the ice until it shattered and then pulling the pieces apart. The outline of a gloved hand appeared above her, faint against the dark sky, and she grasped it to help herself up.

She mumbled groggily. "Thanks Sokka." _How close was the fire to hitting us? _

"No, thanks to you. You're sinking the ship." He gestured to the bow of the ship which had begun to tilt towards the waterline. _That was quite genius though...why didn't we think of that - oh right, Katara's the only Waterbender. _

Katara shuffled uncomfortably at her brother's praise. "You saw what Aang did, didn't you? He went back in. He could've escaped, but he didn't."

"Yeah...that doesn't make much sense." _None of what happened today makes much sense. What's this about the Avatar you and Aang were babbling about? _

Katara didn't notice her brother's confusion and continued her diatribe. "Why didn't he escape?! I tried everything to save him, and he just...doesn't accept it." She paused and huffed angrily. "Now he's captured and we have no way of getting to him!"

Sokka couldn't wait any longer. "Katara-"

"Sokka, we have to help him! What if-"

"Katara - I want to help you-" Sokka sighed and turned away slightly from his sister, "-but I don't understand what's going on. This whole day...it's been so confusing for me." _Thats an understatement...I need to find out what's going on, now. _

Katara finally turned towards him, her heart wrenching at Sokka's pained expression. "I'm sorry...I'm confused too. Things happened so fast today." She paused to consider her next words carefully. "He thinks I'm the Avatar." She broke off anxiously waited for her brother's reaction.

"I...I see what you mean." _Is Katara the Avatar? _Sokka tried to look at his sister in a new light, but all he saw was the compassionate girl he had known for all his life. _She's still my sister, and that's what matters._ He turned back towards her and hugged her tightly. _It's just like what happened to Mom all over again. H_is voice wavered slightly as he hugged his sister tighter."I know how you feel about this...but I can't imagine losing you too."

"I know...I'm sorry." _It wasn't fair to Sokka, _she thought. _What does he think of me now? _"I wasn't being fair to you earlier...it's just so hard to see him go." She sighed and rubbed her head sadly."I know we just met him today, but I'm sure he's something special." _I know it. _

Sokka couldn't bear his sister's somber expression any longer or the rising urge to rescue Aang from the menacing ship. "We have to save him."

"I know, but how?" she whispered desperately.

A man in maroon armor warily clambered onto the tip of the prow and stared down at them. A thick tension hung in the air, but the pair of Water Tribers stood their ground and returned the gaze. The two sides silently continued their observations of each other until a distant, throaty cry came over the ship.

"Zuko!"

The name meant nothing to them, and Sokka began churning out a dozen schemes to infiltrate the ship. However, it didn't tale long for him to realize that they were all completely unfeasible. After a moment, he stopped and gazed appraisingly at the scene as a metal ramp began to rise out of the water. Even though the ship was leaning heavily towards the prow, the ramp nevertheless managed to connect with the rest of the hull with a sharp *_clank_*.

_It's not going to sink. _Sokka's suspicions were confirmed a moment later when a jet of white steam began billowing frantically out of an open hatch and into the frigid night air, surely a sign of the crew's efforts to remove the water from their ship. He resisted the urge to groan disappointedly and refocused his gaze on the retreating prow of the ship, which rose slightly back out of the water as the ship leveled off.

The tense figure was soon joined by a portlier one, their outlines easily discernible against the starry nighttime sky. The rumbling of water had stopped and the wind had calmed, leaving a fragile silence hanging in the air.

* * *

bs13: Thanks for your continued support. Your encouragement never fails to inspire me to continue my story. It's good to know that my characters continue to be on-spot.


	14. Ch 14: Aftermath of The Unsinking Ship

Disclaimer: I don't own A:TLA, which in all honesty actually belong to Nick, Mike and Bryan.

Here's a belated, desperate apology for not updating sooner: Sorry. In all honesty I don't know what to say... :P

* * *

Zuko didn't turn around at the sound of his name. The time for looking back, for_ hesitation_, had passed when the ship began to sink. But this one time he was curious, and the voice sounded incredibly familiar.

_Uncle?_

Fortunately, a moment of hesitation was all it took.

Thick, strong arms grasped him firmly around the waist and forcefully pulled him away from the edge of the prow. Still shocked at the sudden sensation, Zuko struggled halfheartedly before turning to Iroh, whose eyes seemed to _glow _as he stared at his nephew wildly.

_That was__** too**__ close..._

Iroh barely managed a whisper when he hugged Zuko tightly against him. "Zuko..."

Zuko muttered under his breath, "Uncle, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be evacuating the crew?" _I didn't want him to see me like this...he's making this harder than it has to be._

Iroh shook his head embraced him even tighter. "No." As if to answer Zuko's question, a metallic *_clank_* reverberated loudly through the air when the ramp closed and finally cut off the flow of water into the ship's hull. "We're safe here." he reassured him calmly.

Zuko's burning resolve remained untamed, however. _It doesn't matter if the ship didn't actually sink! _"Uncle, that waterbender _almost_ sank our ship!" he protested, pointing at the hooded figures gazing up at them from the glittering ice sheet below. _But that's not the least of it. _"I think she's the _Avatar_. I _must-"_

Iroh remained firm despite his gentle voice. "Zuko - don't. There is too much at stake to throw it all away on a foolish gamble. The waterbender is at her strongest now." Despite his best efforts to calm his nephew, however, Iroh could read the frustration written all over his nephew's face reflecting his stubbornness in the matter. _Avatar? Did he see something that I didn't? I only saw her bend water…_

"What if she escapes? There's no way I could track her down! This might be my only chance to-"

Iroh shook his head again slowly. "No, Zuko. She – whether Avatar or not - _has_ escaped. There's a reason she hasn't left." _I don't understand though...if she __**was**__ a waterbender, why wouldn't she take advantage of the moon to do something even more drastic? And what about the airbending child? Stranger and stranger..._

The Prince remained unaware of his Uncle's preponderance of thoughts and moved again to escape his grasp.

"I need to go before I lose sight! I'll grab a lifeboat and go by myself, or-"

"Zuko! You'll _die_ out there if you go through with this. Think about it!" Iroh snapped forcefully. "_Avatar _or not, nobody will be going home if we don't fix this ship, **now**!"

His nephew stared at him as if he had grown another head. This was the first time in several _months_ that his Uncle had chastised him to such a degree, and instead of feeling taken aback with a twinge of guilt, his Uncle's insistency only served to make the Prince even more defensive and insistent.

"I'm only one person. Why do you need _me _to fix the ship?"

Iroh inwardly groaned at his nephew's complete cluelessness, resisting the urge to shake him until his brain plopped back into his clearly empty head.

"What if we have to send out a search party for you? What if your boat gets frozen in the ice, or worse, is destroyed? Can you swim in the ocean, with the armor you're wearing? What if you're captured?"

Iroh paused and swept his gaze over Zuko's blank features, shaking his head tiredly as he continued.

"Zuko, think for once! This is not the time to go off by yourself on a nearly suicidal mission!"

"I'd rather die than fail to capture the Avatar." he muttered quietly.

"It would be a shame if you had a better chance and died before you could use it." Iroh retorted dryly.

"When will I have a better chance?"

Iroh knew he didn't have an answer for that. The waterbender would be on guard now that she knew his nephew's intentions. He knew that their moment of surprise, if it could be called one, had already passed.

"Tomorrow," he lied. "I'll help you capture him when the moment is right."

Zuko wasn't backing down so easily though. "Why not today?"

"…Zuko, it's a terrible idea. We need to stick together, especially given where we are right now." Trying to satisfy his implacable nephew, he added, "Why don't you go talk to the airbender that you captured?" _I hope he isn't too rough with him…_

Convinced at last, Zuko _finally _suspended his quest for the Avatar to go meet the imprisoned airbender for the rest of the day, which by that point was only a mere handful of hours. Iroh sighed and forcefully massaged his forehead, trying to relieve the tension in his brow. _That boy...he makes it so hard for himself. _Iroh squinted his eyes to gaze at the distant village once more before moving into a hatch that allowed access below deck.

The dark outlines of the waterbender and her brother remained unmoving against the sheen of the ice all around them as the ship sailed slowly away.

* * *

"Where's Appa?"

Katara looked at her brother with a raised eyebrow. "What?" _What is Sokka talking about?_

"Aang's Air Bison. Even if it can't fly, it's still our best chance of saving him." _Our only chance...we can't paddle fast enough to catch that ship, especially not in the open ocean._

"I don't know. Weren't you here the whole time?" _Why is he asking me when I just came back?_

Sokka casually shrugged his shoulders. "Good point. I don't know why I asked you."

"Maybe there's a way we can call him. He might've been scared off by the firebenders." _A horn...or maybe a whistle?_

Sokka looked at his sister skeptically. "He's a ten ton furry beast! Why would he be scared?"

"He's probably run into firebenders before." Katara said defensively. "Everyone who's run into firebenders always knows better the second time."

"Alright, let's just work on finding Appa." Sokka then said, seemingly as an afterthought, "The quicker we find him, the sooner we can save your boyfriend." **_Sure_**_, he saved you from the shipwreck but that was his fault anyways!_

Katara groaned and rolled her eyes at her brother's poorly timed joke, barely able to hold herself back from clobbering the sly grin off his face.

"He's not my _boyfriend, _and I want to save him because..." She trailed off as she tried to pick a reason for saving him from the long list in her head. "He's my _friend_...and we need to save him." Katara leaned in with a scowl on her face. "And for your information, he's just-"

"Ok, ok. I get it. Sorry for being _honest_." Sokka dismissively waved his hand while his sister alternated between fuming at her brother's idiocy and worrying about the fate of her only real friend besides her brother, who actually didn't really count most of the time.

"Hmm," Sokka hummed thoughtfully_, "_Let's go back to the village for supplies and then find Appa."

"Lead the way," Katara offered, gesturing at the open mouth of the village wall. The assembled villagers had been watching them from afar ever since the Fire Nation ship had arrived just before dusk.

After a few moments, the siblings closed the distance to their home, and they stood stone still while they waited for the unnatural silence to break. Everyone had seen the entire exchange with the firebenders, and Katara wasn't sure how they - and her Grandmother, most importantly - would react.

Kanna spoke up first since she was the most senior member of the tribe. "That was very brave of you, Katara."

Katara remained silent, but she managed to smile shyly at her Grandmother. _She has more to say, I'm sure._

Sokka shuffled nervously as he noticed a flurry of cryptic glances flying between his sister and his grandmother. _Will someone please say something?_

All of a sudden, a freckled girl no older than six or seven pushed her way to the front of the crowd despite her mother's desperate attempts to restrain her."Where's Aangy?" she blurted out. Her innocent question earned a pitying glance from all of the villagers. After a moment, however, they returned their newly expectant gazes to Katara and Sokka.

Katara responded swiftly with a promise, her steady voice leaving no room for doubt. "We're going to bring him back." But as soon as the words left her mouth, she began to feel a rising pang of guilt. _What will Gran-Gran think? I acted so desperately out there, and now I'm running off again to chase Aang._

Sokka could read the doubt beginning to cloud his sister's face and he quickly spoke up. "Did you see Appa recently?"

A middle-aged villager voiced the villagers' confusion. "Who's Appa?"

"_It_ is Aang's Air Bison." Sokka clarified.

"Air Bison? It can fly?" she asked incredulously.

Kanna cut in before the other villagers could bury her grandchildren under an avalanche of further questions. "No, we haven't seen him since-"

All of a sudden, a faint but clearly audible growl rumbled over from the general direction of the retreating warship.

Everyone turned their heads at _that_.

Katara snapped out of her surprise and made her way to her grandmother. "Do you have a whistle or horn we could use?"

"Of course I do, but," she added while holding up a finger, "I need to speak to you and your brother first." Kanna paused at the impatience contorting her granddaughter's expression. "I swear by Yue that this will not take long." _Surely she wouldn't leave without explaining everything that happened? I didn't even get the chance to talk to this "Aang" more than a few sentences, and now my girl's running after him! Bah!_

Katara blinked and nodded, letting her irritation temporarily from her face. "Sokka! Gran-Gran wants to talk to us!"

Sokka narrowed his eyes at the faint blot of the retreating warship one last time before turning back towards Katara.

"We have to hurry if we want to call Appa before he gets too far away." _If he isn't already..._

Kanna wordlessly opened her tent's flap and motioned for her grandchildren to step inside.

* * *

The terrified glances that his men sent him was confirmation enough of his suspicions. Iroh cast a wayward glance downwards, assessing the damage to the engine room. Luckily, it had not been _entirely _flooded, but the coal, which was stored per standard operating procedure in the bottommost storage bins due to the fire hazard, had been - and in fact, was still - completely waterlogged. Not only would he and his men have to carefully boil off the water to even be able to access the coal, but they would also have to avoid setting it all afire in the process. An already impossibly difficult task had been made harder. Now the furnaces were out of fuel, and the black smoke billowing up through the smokestacks diminished to a faint wisp before dissipating completely as the hatches were closed in a desperate attempt to conserve the meager heat left.

Iroh kneaded his forehead forcefully, trying to dispel the headache plaguing him and the sleep deprivation threatening to knock him out cold and onto the hard metal deck several meters below.

_Perhaps some tea would be in order._

* * *

"Katara."

She had been expecting the questioning, but not so _quickly_. Almost as soon as the tent flap had stopped fluttering, her grandmother had turned about in the blink of the eye and fixed her with a narrow, expectant stare. It wasn't reproachful or angry, but rather deeply inquisitive.

"Well-"

For the second time that night, Sokka inexplicably abandoned his usually collected manner and blurted out something he would regret.

"He's her boyfriend." _ha-ha...oops._

Kanna arched her eyebrows and smiled conspiratorially. "Is that so?" _It can't hurt to play along, can it?_

"No - Sokka! Augh! Stop it!" Katara glared at her brother, who was covering his mouth, fighting the urge to shake with laughter even as he wore a mortified expression. _I thought we already went over this! _She balled her fists in preparation to tackle her unrepentant sibling, but Kanna placed a soothing hand on her shoulder.

"Your brother was just kidding." Her playful voice turned serious, however, as she moved onto more pressing matters, looking at Katara and Sokka in turn. "But tell me what _really_ happened. I saw that the firebenders were about to leave when you said something that made them stop."

Sokka decided to try to make amends to his sister by summarizing the situation succinctly.

"Well, the angry 'Prince'," Sokka paused midsentence to gesture for mock emphasis, "thought that _Aang_ was the Avatar, but Katara said that _she _was the Avatar, and after a bit of arguing they took him away. Then Katara collapsed the ice under their ramp and almost sank the ship. It's too bad they got away." He declined to mention the fact that at one point he himself had tried rather unsuccessfully to pretend to be the Avatar.

"Well...I guess that's it." Katara rewarded her brother's efforts with a thankful smile.

Kanna opened and closed her mouth wordlessly. _Well...that still leaves a lot unexplained. _She was about to rephrase herself when Sokka interrupted her thoughts.

"Gran-Gran, I know you have a lot of questions about what happened, but there's no time to explain! We need to call Appa back before the ship gets too far away."

Their grandmother wasn't going to let them – or at the very least, one of them - off the hook so easily however, even as she nodded amicably at Sokka's request. "Sokka, there are some instruments in the communal igloo that might work. There should be one in particular that is a sort of bison whistle." _An old piece of junk that hasn't been used in over a century...someone must've seen the future to have saved it this long, _she thought amusedly.

The siblings turned to leave the tent one after another, but when Katara moved to follow her brother outside Kanna stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and whispered to her quietly so that her brother wouldn't hear. "I still need to talk to you, Katara." She guided her granddaughter back into the tent to gain some further insight into the day's strange events.

The young waterbender felt quite impatient at the moment and tried to deflect her grandmother's questioning gaze.

"Can we talk about this later? We just need to rescue him and then we can come back."

"You know it's not that simple Katara. Ha-at least tell me why you're doing this! You and your brother are-"

"There's something special about him, Gran-Gran. I can just feel it!" _Not to mention he's the first Airbender in a hundred years...and I was the one to find him! It has to mean something, right? _Katara smiled widely and clenched her fists as if she was desperately anticipating something...or someone.

Kanna only raised a single eyebrow at her antics. "Katara, that's not a good enough reason! We need you and Sokka here...your father trusted you!" _And me, _she thought sullenly. _Trusted me to look after his kids so he could run off to war, again. _"I just don't want lose any more of my family," she explained sadly, wiping a pale tear from her wrinkled face.

"Gran-Gran..."

"Do _you_ truly think he's the Avatar?" Kanna suddenly intoned. She fixed her daughter with yet another deep stare.

"No," Katara replied uneasily as she searched for an answer. "But why does that matter?" She grinned widely and balled her fists for emphasis.

Kanna eyed her warily, the familiar gesture having been used mere moments ago. She groaned inwardly as the realization hit her.

"There's something special about him, I can-"

_Not again, _Kanna thought wearily. "Alright, Katara. Just...and how are you going to rescue him anyways? It's just you two against the ship's entire crew! How are you supposed to find him on the ship, much less break him out?"

Katara barely hid her surprise that her grandmother would so easily consider her fighting alongside Sokka. "Do you remember...the explosion about two hours ago?"

"Yes..." _By Yue, I forgot! I need to ask her about that mess next._

"Well, me and Aang..." Katara fidgeted nervously as she continued, "well we explored the shipwreck andblewitup," she explained while blurting over the last part, "so I sort of know where things are."

_Sokka would be jealous...but that still doesn't answer the question_.

* * *

Sokka, however, was perfectly content as he rummaged through the pile of musical instruments that his tribe had, in brighter days, used in their communal gatherings.

Despite the flashy presences of an old whale bone hand-me-down foghorn and a flute made from thinner walrus-tusks, he eventually decided on a even smaller piece: a strange but rather aesthetically pleasing two-note whistle made from who-knows-what bone. He experimentally blew it and was disappointed when only one of the noise holes produced a tone. _Well, even if it half broken, it must've been what Gran-Gran meant. There's isn't anything else in here that even remotely matches her description._

_Anything else?_

After pondering their possible rescue attempts for a few moments, Sokka realized that he should bring his complete arsenal of lethal weapons, including his trusty razorblade-sharp seal bone boomerang, his hefty, lopsidedly weighted whale-bone club, and his comparatively useless spear, which was actually a barely functional harpoon.

He gathered his weapons and packed them onto a weathered hide leather bag, checking to make sure that he packed a sufficient stash of seal-jerky for the duration of their rescue mission.

_Last call..._

Sokka froze when he realized that they had no way of getting from Appa onto the boat. He anticipated using the icebergs to both hide and blend in Appa with, but he knew that he couldn't expect himself, much less Katara, to swim any distance in the ocean, especially at night when the currents were stronger.

_We'll need a raft. _He rummaged through the pile of yet-unused animal parts stacked in the corner and found a somewhat pristine seal bladder that might've carried the two of them...but not all three of them. _How are we going to get Aang out? _Sighing, he moved to pick up a smaller bladder when he remembered that Aang had a glider. _Still, it's a good backup plan. Now where's the rope? I'll tie and inflate these on the way...There it is!_

_Alright...lets do this. _Sokka piled his collection of supplies at the flap of the igloo, but he groaned when he noticed the outline of two highly animated figures behind the flap of the his grandmother's tent. _Have they been at it the whole time? _He grabbed his leather sack and slung it over his shoulder as he parted the flaps.

* * *

Aang studied his surroundings warily, trying to plot the best escape route for an airbender given a moment's notice. They were eerily familiar to the bridge of the ship he and Katara had explored earlier, with the obvious difference of a crew manning the stations and there actually being scrolls in the map racks.

He sighed deeply as he resisted the urge to either sit or stand from his awkward half-crouch that he had been forced to endure. It seemed that his made-up status as the Avatar entitled him to the belittlement and scorn of a good portion of the crew, albeit not the entire crew: Most of the people who he passed on his trip through the dingy hallways tended to either ignore him entirely or send him a incredulous, almost disbelieving glance. Only a handful of the guards had shown any true hostility towards him, and that was only after the man 'Jee' had told them that he was the Avatar.

_Well, that's surprising, _he thought wryly as he recounted his previous conversation with Katara on the shipwreck. _They were willing to sacrifice almost anything to capture the Avatar, and they still didn't. I hope Katara is safe. If they knew who she was..._Aang involuntarily shuddered at the possibilities racing through his mind - mainly those of dark cells, dank prison holds and bitingly cold iron chains, all of which he knew existed on the ship he was imprisoned on. _I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe...I wish I could've said goodbye to her though. She seemed really nice._

Once again alone and unneeded for the moment, Aang's mind drifted deeper and deeper into the darkest recess of his fears - the fate of the Air Nomads. Ignoring the rising sting in his calf muscles, he thought back to what Katara and her grandmother had told him. _No Airbenders for a hundred years. That means...wait, so no Airbenders visited any of the other nations for the past hundred years. That actually doesn't tell me much. I need to visit an Air Temple to find out what's going on...maybe they cut off all contact after what happened when the comet came. We're nomads...the Fire Nation couldn't have gotten us all...no, wait, it __**was **__our yearly celebration, so we were all there._

Aang smacked his head as the realization hit him. _So the Fire Nation waited to attack us when we were all in one place..._

_This is bad._

_Really bad._

Surrounded by people who followed in the footsteps of the murderers and butchers who had attacked his people, Aang couldn't help but curl up tighter into a fetal position in a vain attempt to stop the chills racing down his spine.

* * *

"Let me try to make this as clear as possible. You want to go and try to rescue a boy who may or may not be real, and-"

"He's real! I held his hand!" Katara huffed indignantly.

"Then how do you explain him being in the ice for a hundred years? He's probably a spirit or something," Kanna muttered, trying to grasp some explanation for the absurdity of it all from the legends sheused to to tell _her_.

Her granddaughter only shook her head at that, however. "He isn't a spirit either. I don't know what he is," Katara admitted, feeling slightly guilty for discussing her new friend in such an abstract and impersonal sense, "but I do know that him being here means something." She paused before adding something that she knew Gran-Gran would say. "Now, our destinies are intertwined."

Kanna tried to hide her apprehension at the doubt creeping into her mind behind another admonishment, however forced. "Katara, it's time for you to grow up. That's the kind of stuff you tell five year olds! I can't believe _you _still believe it. You've just turned fourteen! You're a young lady now, and-"

Sokka chose this moment to come tumbling through the tent with a bulging bag in tow. "Can we go now? It's getting dark, and-"

"That can wait, Sokka." Kanna intoned forcefully. "The Firebenders will weaken even further as it nears midnight..and I have important matters to talk with you both about."

Sokka fidgeted impatiently. "Can we talk when we get back?" _And how does she know that about firebenders?_

"I would, but I have a feeling you won't be coming back." At the hurt expressions in her grandchildren's eyes, however, Kanna backtracked and hurriedly clarified her meaning. "No, I don't mean that I think you will fail." _but they still haven't explained how they would succeed, _she reminded herself.

"I just mean that...I think this is more than you're expecting it to be. Katara and I have been discussing what this all means...I honestly don't know if 'Aang' is what he seems he is. You both keep ignoring the fact that he's been frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years."

"Well, who do you think he is?" Sokka asked. _Either he's a normal human being or else he's a spirit of some sort...there's no inbetween. Frankly, he just seems like a goofy kid._ _But brave as well, _he thought when he remembered the boy's self-sacrifice only hours ago to placate the Firebenders.

"I don't know...he _has _to be some sort of spirit. That's the only explanation that makes sense."

"Gran-Gran, he could just be a normal Air Nomad for all we know. Maybe a small group survived and didn't have contact with the outside world."

"But you saw for yourself how distraught he was at what you said, that which was only common knowledge! He admitted to you yourself that he thought he had been frozen for a hundred years."

"Maybe he had really bad amnesia?" Katara offered.

"That doesn't explain the freaky beam of light that we saw!" Sokka countered. "Did you see how his eyes and tattoos lit up...like they were glowing?"

Katara shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "Well, I guess so." _If that wasn't painfully obvious already..._

Lost in her thoughts, Kanna didn't register her grandchildren's voices. She wracked her memory for any possible meaning in the sudden apprehension she had begun to feel at the mentions of the ethereal luminescence. Then the obvious answer smacked her in the face, sending her mental self reeling. _Glowing eyes...glowing tattoos...he __**must **__be some spirit! Could it be the Avatar?_

"Do you think Aang is the Avatar?"

Sokka replied first to Kanna. "Gran-Gran, I thought-"

"Didn't you use to say that the Avatar is human? Humans can't stay frozen in ice and not die." Katara finished, earning an exasperated glare from her wannabe-detective brother.

_Then perhaps he is a Spirit...sent to restore balance where the Avatar failed._

"Children...you must save him." Kanna intoned seriously, her knowledgeable eyes imprinting the importance of her decision onto the supple minds of her grandchildren. "For all of our sakes...you _must_. I suspect that Aang is a spirit, sent to restore balance where the Avatar failed. It's the only explanation that makes sense."

While Katara was practically jumping for joy at her grandmother's rather belated decision, Sokka was far less enthused.

"We were going to do that anyways, Gran-Gran." _Not trying to be rude here, but we've been babbling on for what feels like an hour now and we only just now reached a decision! The ship is probably long gone._

"Don't take that attitude with me now, boy. I'm very serious." Kanna chastised him even as her lips curled upwards in a hint of a smile.

"Thank you Gran-Gran! We won't fail you!" Katara said happily.

Kanna regarded the last of her blood relatives wryly. _If wonder if they would've tried to run away had I not spoken to them. _A rare smile flit across her face as she followed her eager grandchildren back out into the cold night, a starry canopy and a crescent moon hanging above the peaks of their seal-fur parka hoods and the familiar crunch of brittle ice below with every step of their seal-skin sandals.

* * *

Jee absentmindedly scratched his left sideburn as the navigator finished plotting the recommended course through the marauding ice floes. Sweeping his gaze around the relatively uncrowded bridge, he noticed a young child crouching in the back, his hands tied to a metal utility pole and his face deep in thought.

_It's the Avatar. Not that I'll ever understand Zuko's obsession with it - well, now we know it's a him. Or at least the Prince does. _Zuko thought back to the argument that had preceded the Airbender's capture. _He said that he was the Avatar, but the waterbender said that __**she**__ was the Avatar...and I've never seen such powerful waterbending. It seems that everyone is suddenly obsessed with the Avatar...except for General Iroh. Good to know somebody's head isn't in the sand.!_

The 'Avatar' yawned sleepily, a grimace contorting his face as he fought to keep himself from collapsing completely on the ground.

_Why is he...squatting like that? Did someone put him up to it? _he wondered, _because it looks extremely uncomfortable._

"Hey, boy!" Jee called, unwilling to call use the title 'Avatar' just yet. "Why are you sitting like that?"

Aang looked up with weary eyes that seemed to slide in and out of focus, seemingly grasping for something impossibly distant in both time and space.

_Whoa. _Jee recoiled slightly at the eerie sensation he received at seeing the boy's haunting stare, one which didn't seem to bother peeling him back layer by layer but rather seemed to dive straight into the main course of his soul.

After what invariably seemed to be a long stretch of time, but which as usual was only a few seconds, Aang finally looked up to speak with a chillingly quiet voice, seemingly bereft of any hope.

"Your people...they killed my people. Killed all of them, didn't they?"

It was less of a question than a naked accusation. The flash of anger on the boy's face that Jee had almost caught a glimpse of earlier had completely dissolved in favor of a calm, almost serene expression, leaving only the almost tastable bitterness and sadness laced with each syllable that left his mouth as a clue to his true disposition.

For a moment, their eyes met. Then Aang returned his gaze to the dingy metal panels riveted to the floor as some crude sort of tiling.

As Jee reeled from his first real impression of the airbender that left him unable to answer, Zuko barged into the bridge with a grimace written over his face. It turned into a scowl when he saw where his lieutenant was staring.

"Jee, what are you doing?" Zuko asked irritably as he swept his gaze back and forth between the restrained airbender and the firebender crouching besides him. The Prince tapped his foot impatiently at the strange scene frozen in place before him.

Caught between an incredibly distraught child and an easily angered Prince, Jee backed away slowly, his gaze never leaving the boy's slouched figure as he kept thinking of any possible excuse for talking with the imprisoned 'Avatar'.

"I was simply asking him some questions, Prince Zuko." _He's just a child...and I don't think I'm going to like what Zuko's going to say to him, not if judging by the look on his face. He's never been the sensitive type. I better go find Iroh..._

As Jee walked away, he couldn't help but hear Zuko voice his first 'question' in a deceptively agreeable voice, one that on the surface seemed to match the boy's earlier tone in sheer calmness.

When examined closer, however, it was clearly not one filled with bitterness and sadness like the airbender's had been, but rather one filled with hostility and unspoken threats, one which easily permeated the sudden silence that had taken over the room with the Prince's arrival.

"Who are you?"

* * *

I did spend a good amount of time to polish this chapter...all the extra time had to go somewhere. Review if you like what you see, and be sure ot read my other stories.

bs13: I REALLY appreciate your continued support, and I'm sorry for not updating in a while...which may continue for the next month or so until the semester ends. I did write a wide variety of _other _stories during the gap though so if you're inclined to do so, feel free to check them out.

Schoate2: A new reviewer! I'm really happy that you found my story and read it and I hope it wasn't too steep of a learning curve! If you really like it you should 'follow' it so you get notified when I update.


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